2020 Cherry Blossom Peak Bloom Forecasts
The latest information and forecasts on when Washington DC’s cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin will reach peak bloom in Spring 2020.
2019 DC Cherry Blossom Watch
Compared to some other blooms in recent years, the 2019 bloom of DC's famous cherry blossoms was quite drama-free. There were no late-season snowstorms or destructive frosts. The relatively stable weather in the lead-up to the bloom meant that the peak bloom forecasts were very accurate, and peak bloom was called on April 1.
Once the flowers opened, cool, calm, and sunny weather helped the flowers stay out on the trees across two prime viewing weekends.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update / Kwanzan Edition: April 12, 2019
The Kwanzan cherry blossoms are coming into bloom. There are plenty around town that are in full bloom now. The ones in east Potomac Park aren’t quite there yet, but they’re close.
Reader Photos 2019 | Part 4
Here are some more of the beautiful photos of 2019’s bloom of the cherry blossoms that were submitted by Cherry Blossom Watch readers. This is the final installment.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: April 10, 2019
The cherry blossoms are mostly done now. You can still find flowers out, but they’re fading fast. The good news, though, is that the warm temperatures of the past few days have helped push the Kwanzan cherry blossoms along.
Reader Photos 2019 | Part 3
Here are some more of the beautiful photos of 2019’s bloom of the cherry blossoms that were submitted by Cherry Blossom Watch readers. This is part 3.
Reader Photos 2019 | Part 2
These are some of the beautiful photos of 2019’s bloom of the cherry blossoms that were submitted by Cherry Blossom Watch readers. This is part 2–more to come.
Reader Photos 2019 | Part 1
These are some of the beautiful photos of 2019’s bloom of the cherry blossoms that were submitted by Cherry Blossom Watch readers. This is part 1–more to come.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: April 7, 2019
The cherry blossoms are still looking pretty, especially from a distance, but up close it’s becoming easier to tell that they’re past their prime. There are fewer petals on the trees, more petals on the ground, and more green leaves sprouting.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: April 6, 2019
The cherry blossoms are still looking lovely. They didn’t get through yesterday’s rain entirely unscathed–it did knock some petals off, and you can see plenty of cherry blossom “snow” on the ground. But from a distance it’s hard to tell.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: April 5, 2019
The rain we’ve been seeing today so far has only made a small dent, but it is making a dent.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: April 4, 2019
The cherry blossoms are still looking great, and while some of them are starting to look a bit fragile, very few petals have been blown off so far.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: April 3, 2019
Light rain showers yesterday through the late afternoon and evening had no real effect on the trees, and they’re going strong and looking wonderful.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: April 2, 2019
The cherry blossoms are going strong and looking stunning. If you look very closely at the flowers you can see that some are starting to go pink in the middle.
NPS Says the Cherry Blossoms Reached Peak Bloom Today, April 1
The arborists at the National Park Service have judged that the famous cherry blossoms reached peak bloom today, April 1. That’s in line with their revised prediction. And it’s right around the historical average.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: April 1, 2019
It’s a very pretty morning down at the Tidal Basin. Cool and breezy, but sparklingly clear. And the cherry blossoms are looking magnificent.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 31, 2019
The cherry blossoms are in full bloom now. They’re white and fluffy and billowing. This morning’s weather isn’t the ideal setting to showcase the blossoms, but it’s still a beautiful sight.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 30, 2019
The cherry blossoms are coming into full bloom, although there’s still plenty of flowers yet to open. More and more will open up over the next few days. If you head down this weekend you won’t be disappointed.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 29, 2019
The cherry blossoms are really starting to come along now. They’re not in full bloom yet, but many trees are starting to flower. Warm temperatures today and tomorrow will make them pop.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 28, 2019
There’s now no difficulty finding flowers out. Many of the trees have at least some flowers opening; some trees have many. The warmer temperatures on Friday and Saturday will make them really start popping.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 27, 2019
Many of the trees are in the puffy white stage now, and you can clearly see the white petals coming through. And more trees have at least a few flowers opening on them now, although it’s still only a tiny portion of the flowers that will be coming out over the next several days.
NPS Moves Peak Bloom Prediction Forward to April 1
The original peak bloom prediction was April 3-6, but warmer temperatures in the past week, along with warm temperatures anticipated over the coming weekend, have pushed the development ahead.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 25, 2019
The warmer temperatures of the past couple of days have given the cherry blossoms another little prod, and many trees are closing in on the puffy white stage.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 23, 2019
The cool temperatures have kept the pace quite slow, but the cherry trees are making progress toward the bloom. It is technically possible to find some early blossoms out, but it’s only the tiniest fraction of them and you really have to go hunting for them.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 19, 2019
The National Park Service has judged that the trees have reached the “florets visible” stage. Many of the trees are beyond that, and from a distance you can see that the trees are getting a reddish-brown tinge as the bud development progresses.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 17, 2019
What a difference a couple of very warm days makes! We’ve seen temperatures climb into the upper 70s, and that gave the cherry blossoms quite a jolt. The indicator tree now has its first flowers open.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 14, 2019
The buds on the cherry trees are making slow but steady progress. They still have some work to do, and they’re still quite far behind where they were this time last year, but a couple of very warm days today and tomorrow will help move things along a little.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 11, 2019
We’re coming out of a cold spell and turning the corner into a milder stretch. The buds are coming along nicely, with most trees now with green buds and some heading into the “florets visible” stage.
National Park Service Predicts 2019 Peak Bloom Between April 3 and 6
The National Park Service has issued their initial peak bloom prediction for the 2019 bloom.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 6, 2019
It doesn’t feel much like spring–while sunny, it’s cold and breezy–but more green buds are coming out.
Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang Predicts Peak Bloom Between April 1 and 5
The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang has issued their initial peak bloom prediction of the season. They predict that peak bloom will fall sometime “between April 1 and 5, centered on the 3rd.”
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 3, 2019
The first green buds are starting to poke through.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: February 25, 2019
There’s not much to see on the trees yet. Temperatures for February continue to average a few degrees above normal. And the National Park Service will be announcing their initial peak bloom prediction at a press conference on March 6.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: February 18, 2019
The cherry blossom buds are still wrapped tight for winter, but there are some other scattered signs of spring. Some of the earliest apricot blossoms and other flowering fruit trees are just starting to show some flowers.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: February 10, 2019
Despite some attention-grabbing cold blasts in recent weeks, the temperatures so far this winter have continued to average warmer-than-normal overall. But there’s still not much to see on the trees.
Cherry Blossom Watch Update: January 14, 2019
Winter finally arrived, with a snowstorm that dumped around 10 inches of snow. But so far, temperatures have averaged warmer than normal.