Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 16, 2023

After some cold and blustery days, it’s feeling far more spring-like today. And temperatures to match, climbing into the 60s today and tomorrow. That’s going to bring out a lot more flowers over the next few days.

Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
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2023 Peak Bloom

The NPS judged that the Yoshino cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin reached peak bloom on March 23, 2023. They're now done for the year..

After some cold and blustery days, it's feeling far more spring-like today. And temperatures to match, climbing into the 60s today and tomorrow. That will bring out a lot more flowers over the next few days. But colder temperatures will be back on the weekend before settling back into moderate spring temperatures next week.

While there are already some flowers out (a very small percentage) and many trees are getting close to flowering (a much larger percentage), there are still plenty that are lagging further behind and aren't yet ready to pop. So it's shaping up as quite a gradual rollout.

Heads up:

  • West Basin Drive is closed. Ohio Drive still has normal traffic patterns and access as of this morning (but expect that to change any day now).
  • On Saturday, the Rock ‘n' Roll Marathon will result in some road closures downtown, around the Mall, and Memorial Bridge. The Tidal Basin will remain open.
  • The Welcome Area next to the MLK Memorial is scheduled to open on Saturday.

There's more info on these at the end of this post.

How It Looks This Morning

It was a very pretty sunrise this morning. Some high clouds just above the horizon really caught the pre-dawn light.

Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
WASHINGTON DC — Sunrise at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on March 16, 2023. Taken with a Fujifilm X-T5 with a Fujifilm XF 50mm f/1.0 R WR lens. This isn't enhanced or Photoshopped–it's basically right out of the camera. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — The NPS Welcome Area in the process of being set up on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
WASHINGTON DC — Sunrise at the Lincoln Memorial on March 16, 2023. Taken with a Fujifilm X-T5 with a Fujifilm XF 50mm f/1.0 R WR lens. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
WASHINGTON DC — Sunrise at the Lincoln Memorial on March 16, 2023. This is not enhanced or Photoshopped. It's the natural lighting of the sun moments after sunrise. It shines directly into the chamber of the Lincoln Memorial, illuminating the statue, at specific times of the year and in the right weather conditions for a few minutes after the sun breaks the horizon. You can find more information about how to take this shot here. Taken with a Fujifilm X-T5 with a Fujifilm XF 50mm f/1.0 R WR lens. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Cherry blossoms approaching bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL
Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
WASHINGTON DC — The Washington Monument silhouetted against the clouds before sunrise from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on March 16, 2023. Photo © David Coleman / HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL

Things Worth Knowing

  • West Basin Drive is closed for the Welcome Area setup and is scheduled to remain closed through April 6. The MLK Memorial and FDR Memorial remain open as usual to pedestrian traffic.
  • Ohio Drive traffic pattern is currently normal, but expect that to change any day now.
  • On Saturday (March 18), there will be a Rock ‘n' Roll Marathon downtown. Most of the course is not near the Tidal Basin, but it does run along a section of Constitution Ave, around the Lincoln Memorial, and over Memorial Bridge. As a result, there will be some road closures affecting the area to consider if you plan to drive, especially if you are coming from the northern side of the National Mall or from Arlington (Memorial Bridge will be closed). Check the road closure information they've posted as well as a street-by-street breakdown. The DC Police Department has posted another detailed advisory here.
  • The National Cherry Blossom Festival runs from March 20 18 through April 16. (They've revised the opening date to March 18.)
  • The 2023 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run & 5K Run-Walk is scheduled for the weekend of April 1-2. The Tidal Basin will still be open to pedestrian traffic, but there will be road closures in the surrounding area.
  • The Jefferson Memorial is still undergoing renovations. The current phase mainly affects the lower level inside, but there's some fencing and scaffolding at ground level outside. The main rotunda remains open. The exterior renovations to the dome are still looking great!
  • Parking lots A, B, and C mostly won't be available for visitor parking this year. They're being used as staging and storage areas for nearby construction on the Metro line.
  • If you're looking for accommodation, I've put together some suggestions on where to stay when visiting DC's cherry blossoms.

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