2021 Washington DC Cherry Blossoms Homepage2021 Washington DC Cherry Blossoms

by David Coleman @ Have Camera Will Travel

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2017 Cherry Blossom Watch

It was a bumpy ride up to the 2017 cherry blossom bloom. A warmer than normal winter led into a very warm February. That brought the cherry blossoms to the verge of blooming around mid-March. It was even shaping up to be possibly the earliest on record.

Then an arctic blast hit. It slowed the development to a crawl and caused widespread damage to many of the blossoms because it came right when many were just on the verge of blooming and at their most vulnerable.

The NPS judged that about half the blossoms survived. The surviving blossoms reached peak bloom on March 25. Given the extent of the damage from the cold, it was a somewhat more subdued and reduced bloom than the kind of full-throated, dramatic bloom for which DC's cherry blossoms are famous, but it still made for an impressive spectacle.

Here are the archived updates for the 2017 edition of the DC Cherry Blossom Watch.

Kwanzan Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossom Watch Update / Kwanzan Edition: April 9, 2017

The Kwanzan cherry blossoms are coming into full bloom now and looking lovely.

27 1 340x175 - Reader Photos 2017 | Part 3

Reader Photos 2017 | Part 3

This is the final installment of reader photos for this year. Thanks to all who shared their beautiful photos!

21 340x175 - Reader Photos 2017 | Part 2

Reader Photos 2017 | Part 2

This is part 2 of the reader photos for the 2017 bloom.

Cherry Blossom Photos 2017

Reader Photos 2017 | Part 1

Here are some great photos of 2017’s bloom of the cherry blossoms that were submitted by Cherry Blossom Watch readers. This is part 1.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms 2017 - April 4

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: April 4, 2017

The cherry blossoms are on their last legs now, but there are still some holdouts with plenty of flowers.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms 2017 - March 31

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 31, 2017

The cherry blossoms are past their prime now and well on their way out. The persistent rain is knocking a lot of petals off, but there are still plenty of petals left on the trees.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms 2017 - March 29

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 29, 2017

They’re still going strong, and with the sun finally coming out it’s a gorgeous spring day at the Tidal Basin.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms 2017 - March 28

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 28, 2017

Now that we’re at three days after the peak bloom day, the cherry blossoms are turning pink and still looking great, but they’re also becoming fragile. The rain is knocking petals off and blanketing the ground with cherry blossom snow.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms 2017 - March 26

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 26, 2017

The cherry blossoms reached peak bloom yesterday. As expected, the bloom this year is a little more subdued than usual simply because it’s firing with only half its usual firepower. Despite that, though, they’re putting on a beautiful show. Over the next few days the blossoms will gradually go from white to a pale pink.

Kwanzan Cherry Blossoms - March 26, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update / Kwanzan Edition: March 26, 2017

The Kwanzans are now showing green buds, the first of the visible development stages. Warm weather over coming weeks will wake them up and speed things up a bit.

Washington DC Cherry Blossom Watch 2017 - March 25

NPS Says that DC’s Cherry Blossoms Reached Peak Bloom Today: March 25

The NPS said this afternoon that the cherry blossoms reached peak bloom today, March 25. Peak bloom is when at least 70 percent of the blossoms are open.

Washington DC Cherry Blossom Watch 2017 - March 25

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 25, 2017

They’re looking great this morning, and they’ll look even better as the weekend warms up and coaxes even more blossoms out.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms 2017 - March 24

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 24, 2017

They’re looking good now and will look better and better each day through at least the weekend.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms 2017 - March 23

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 23, 2017

Some of them are blooming fully now. Most of them need a kick of warmth for them to catch up.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms 2017 - March 22

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 22, 2017

They’re not yet in full bloom, but they’ve taken a big step in that direction in the past 24 hours. Once we get through freezing temperatures tonight, things are shaping up beautifully for the weekend.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms 2017 - March 21

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 21, 2017

The cherry blossoms are finally coming out to play, and it looks like it’s shaping up to look better than the numbers suggest.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms 2017 - March 20 - Close-up

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 20, 2017

It’s a beautiful morning to kick off spring, and more cherry blossoms are starting to come out as they head toward fully blooming later this week.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms 2017 - March 19

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 19, 2017

The cherry blossoms are gearing up for another attempt at the bloom. There are flowers starting to come out, but they’re scattered for now.

cherry blossoms washington dc march 17 2017 01 2 340x175 - Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 18, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 18, 2017

No new photos today, but some useful information came in late yesterday about the NPS’s take on where things stand.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms 2017 - March 17

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 17, 2017

That should be the last of the very cold nights, at least for a while. Things are now warming up a little. So we’re back in business.

Lincoln Memorial

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 16, 2017

Where there should be white and pink there’s now a lot of brown. Many of the ones that were in the late stages right before fully blooming have been damaged badly. But it’s by no means all of them.

Kwanzan Cherry Blossoms - March 16, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch / Kwanzan Edition: March 16, 2017

The Kwanzan cherry blossoms are much earlier in their development and look to be riding out the cold snap comfortably.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms 2017 - March 15

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 15, 2017

They’re taking a beating now and damage is becoming more widespread. While there’s still a good number soldiering on, it’s not clear how many have sustained internal damage that’s not visible or how many will be able to ride out the next two cold nights.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms in Ice - March 14, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 14, 2017

The cherry blossoms don’t seem to be able to catch a break. As if freezing temperatures weren’t enough to deal with, they’re now encased in ice.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms 2017 - March 13

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 13, 2017

Not much change since yesterday. Another cold night. Some of the blossoms are clearly struggling and succumbing to the freezing temperatures, but overall I’m impressed with how well most of them seem to be holding up so far.

Washington DC Cherry Blossom Watch Update - March 12, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 12, 2017

It’s still cold, with much more to come. While most of the cherry blossoms are still hanging in there, more of them seem to be struggling.

Jefferson Memorial before dawn

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 11, 2017

So far, so good. There’s not a lot of visual evidence of damage from the cold temperatures yet, but it’s early days–there’s a lot more to come. In terms of flowers, there’s basically the same amount out today as yesterday.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms - March 10, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 10, 2017

Many of the trees are a few warm days away from full bloom. But we’re not going to be getting warm days anytime soon. Instead, we’ll see several days of cold winter weather. That’s going to slow things down. It also has the potential to do some real damage.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms - March 9, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 9, 2017

As expected, the warm weather yesterday coaxed a few more flowers out. It’s still not many, but more trees have a few flowers starting to show. The warm weather today will coax some more out. It’s nothing like full bloom yet–it’s still very few flowers in the context of the whole–but if you go hunting you can at least find some blossoms out.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms - March 8, 2017

NPS Revises Peak Bloom Forecast: Now March 19-22

Late this afternoon the NPS revised their peak bloom prediction. Colder than expected temperatures forecast for the next week have pushed the dates back.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms - March 8, 2017 - cover

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 8, 2017

A few more trees have started popping their first flowers, although it’s still only very few in terms of the total number of trees around the Tidal Basin. A few warms days should coax more out before an arctic blast hits on the weekend to stir things up.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms - March 7, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 7, 2017

The cool weather of the past few days brought things to a crawl, but now that we’re entering a warmer stretch the pace should start picking up again. It looks like we might see a drawn-out bloom this year.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms - March 6, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 6, 2017

After a chilly weekend, there’s not much change in the trees. A small handful of trees are still flowering, while the others are in a wide spread of development stages.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms - March 3, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 3, 2017

A small handful of trees are starting to flower, but most of them still have some work to do. But the saucer magnolias are looking wonderful.

Washington DC Cherry Blossom Watch - March 1, 2017

National Park Service has Announced Their First Peak Bloom Prediction for 2017

The experts at the National Park Service have announced their peak bloom prediction for 2017: between March 14 and 17.

Washington DC Cherry Blossom Watch - March 1, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 1, 2017

More flowers are out on the indicator tree, and a handful of different varieties of cherries are starting to join it with their first flowers. Most of the trees range somewhere between the green buds and extensions of florets stages.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms - February 28, 2017

Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang Have Posted their First Peak Bloom Prediction for 2017

The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang has issued their first peak bloom prediction for 2017: sometime between March 15 and 19.

Washignton DC Cherry Blossoms - February 28, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: February 28, 2017

There’s going to be a flurry of activity over the coming days, with new peak bloom predictions and the trees racing towards the bloom.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms - February 27, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: February 27, 2017

There’s been noticeable development on many of the trees, and the first flowers are even starting to pop on the indicator tree.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms - February 24, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: February 24, 2017

It’s still warm, warm, warm. And most of the trees now have green buds coming through.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms - February 20, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: February 20, 2017

It certainly feels like spring, with warm temperatures and clear skies. And it’s starting to look like spring too, with the first daffodils starting to come out and the first green buds appearing on the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms - February 13, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: February 13, 2017

It’s sunny and windy. The warmer than normal temperatures we’re still seeing–and expect to see for a while yet–continue to tilt the odds in favor of an earlier bloom. And there’s an early spring treat just across the road from the Tidal Basin.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms February 6, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: February 6, 2017

It feels like spring today, with blue skies, warm sun, and still conditions. And it continues the trend of above-average temperatures we’ve seen through this winter.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms - January 30, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: January 30, 2017

We had a little snow last night. Just enough to be pretty without causing any headaches. But with January closing out it’ll end up being warmer than normal for the month. That’s on the back of a December where average temperatures were also above normal.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms - January 21, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: January 21, 2017

There’s not much new to report since the last update, although temperatures have remained warmer than normal, and it looks like we’ll close out January with temperatures above average for the month.

Cherry Trees at the Tidal Basin - January 15, 2017

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: January 16, 2017

There’s not much to see yet, and it’s been a fairly unremarkable winter, but we’re now starting to head into the period where things start to take shape.

cherry blossoms washington dc november 22 2016 09 340x175 - Cherry Blossoms in November?

Cherry Blossoms in November?

Yes, it happens, even as the leaves are turning reddish-brown and falling off. There are several autumn-blooming cherry trees around the National Mall.

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms Fall 2016

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: Fall 2016 Edition

The cherry trees around the Tidal Basin are also looking very colorful at the moment, but not in the way they’re best known for. Many of the leaves are turning an orange or reddish brown, making for quite a pretty sight all the way around the water’s edge.

David Coleman Photography

I’m a professional travel & location photographer based in Washington DC and traveling all over. Seven continents. Dozens of countries. Up mountains. Under water. And a bunch of places in between. You can find my main site at havecamerawilltravel.com. Or check out what’s in my go-to travel photography kit. Or get in touch here.

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Photos by David Coleman | havecamerawilltravel.com



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