Current 2019 Peak Bloom Forecasts:
National Park Service: April 3-6
Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang: April 1-5
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.
But they're still lagging quite a way behind where they were this time last year. Although that's not a great measure, because this time last year it was looking like it might be a very early bloom until cold weather came in and brought things to a crawl. And two years ago there were already early bloomers out.
Some warmer days this week will start coaxing out more daffodils and other early spring flowers and start making it look and feel a little more like spring. The cherry trees still have some work to do, but hopefully temperatures will pick up a little through the rest of March to give the buds some help.
Temperatures
Despite some very cold spells in January into early February, and again to start March, so far the winter temperatures have been averaging a little above normal.
Here's how the pattern looks on a day-by-day basis. The blue line represents daily averages since the beginning of December; the red line represents the historical averages.
And here's how that translates into monthly averages:
- March: -5.3° (as of March 11)
- February: +3.2°
- January: +1.2°
- December: +3.8°
How It's Looking at the Tidal Basin Today
It's calm and milder.
Where to Stay for the Cherry Blossoms?
If you're visiting from out of town and looking for ideas on where to stay, I've put together some suggestions here.
Latest Updates
How to Get Updates on the 2019 Cherry Blossoms
There are several ways to keep up to date with Cherry Blossom Watch updates.
CherryBlossomWatch.com This website is Cherry Blossom Watch HQ. New updates post here first. They're also more detailed and include more current photos than the other options below. So be sure to bookmark and check back often. If you'd like to receive instant automatic notifications directly from the website when new updates are posted, take a look at the browser notification option below.
Instagram. Follow the dedicated Instagram feed at @cherryblossomwatch. The posts are usually shorter and less detailed, but they include freshly taken photos and post more quickly. (And, if you're interested, you can also follow my main travel photography account at @havecamerawilltraveldc.)
Facebook. Follow the Cherry Blossom Watch Facebook page. This is a good way to know when new updates are posted on the website, but because of the way Facebook's newsfeed algorithm works, there's no guarantee that every update will show up in your feed.
Email Newsletter. To the right of the page (or bottom, if you're using a mobile device) you can find a signup form for the 2019 cherry blossom watch email newsletter. This is sent out as a digest of the latest updates every week or so when new updates have been posted. Please note that the email lists do not carry over year to year, so even if you signed up in 2018 you'll still need to sign up again for the 2019 list.
Browser Notifications. On desktop web browsers you can click on the red bell icon at the bottom right of the screen to sign up for push notifications. When new updates are posted you'll get a notification automatically right in your browser. Works in Chrome, Safari, and Firefox only, for now.
RSS. RSS feed
Denise says
I am coming to DC April 11-14. How much of the cherry blossoms will still be around?
David says
Hard to say. Firstly, it'll depend when peak bloom ends up falling. If it falls in the late end of the predicted ranges, there's a chance there might still be some late blossoms around. Or the predictions might end up being wrong. In ideal conditions, the blossoms can stay out a week or two. In less-than-ideal conditions, they can be gone in 4-5 days after peak bloom. You can get a sense of the progression and how it varies year to year here.
Ginny says
Planning trip to see Blossoms
David says
Enjoy! They're beautiful!