Forecasting when the cherry blossom trees in D.C. will reach their peak bloom is almost impossible more than 10 days in advance, the National Park Service said.
Weather conditions play a big role on when these pink flowers will showcase their full beauty, and for how long.
“Cool, calm weather can extend the length of the bloom, and a rainy, windy day can bring an abrupt end to the ephemeral blossoms. A late frost can prevent the trees from blooming at all,” according to the National Park Service.
In 2017, about half of the Yoshino blooms were lost due to a late frost in March. The Yoshino trees are the most abundant of the 12 species around the Tidal Basin and East Potomac Park. And this year in January, the Higan cherry trees started flowering due to the 70-degree days.
See what each bloom stage looks like and when you might be able to see them. But as stated earlier, weather could change when each stage could happen. Peak bloom has been reached as early as March 15 (in 1990) and as late as April 18 (in 1958).