It's still too early to guess with much confidence when the 2023 bloom will be. But we've seen a much-warmer-than-normal January, and long-range forecasts suggest above-average temperatures continuing as we get deeper into February (after a short very cold spurt at the beginning of the month).
On average, Washington DC's cherry blossoms bloom around late-March into early April, but the precise timing varies year to year depending on the local temperatures in the leadup to the bloom. You can find general information on the 2023 bloom to help plan your visit here.
Spring turned the volume up to 11 today. Clear, sunny, and warm. And it brought people out in droves. Anyone who made the mistake of trying to drive in probably spent a lot of time stuck in traffic jams.
The trees are in their prime right now. Some of the very earliest to bloom, especially some of the young ones at the MLK Memorial, have already started losing their flowers and getting their leaves. And around the Tidal Basin, a gust of wind makes it look like it's snowing petals. But the vast majority of trees are putting on quite a show.
The blossoms will be well on their way out by mid week, so I'd recommend getting down there today, tomorrow, or Monday if you can.
The weather forecast for tomorrow is for another beautiful day. If you plan to head down to the Tidal Basin, you'll save yourself a lot of hassle by finding some way to get there other than driving in (here are some ideas). If you need convincing, some of the photos below should do the trick.
Will Wednesday be too late to get down there then?
Please see the week ahead section on this morning’s update.