WASHINGTON — Cherry blossom season is here! The National Park Service and Mayor Muriel Bowser says D.C.'s iconic cherry blossoms are expected to reach peak bloom March 22-25.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is set for March 20 through April 16. It's a celebration of community throughout all eight wards of D.C.
The Tidal Basin cherry blossoms have already reached stage two of their six-stage journey to the peak, thanks to an unseasonably warm winter.
That warm weather is one of the biggest environmental factors that contribute to the blossoming trees. If you have seen plenty of other varieties of flowering trees perk up around the District in the past few weeks, so has the National Park Service. That is another factor that goes into predicting the peak. In addition, there is also the indicator tree, which is known to bloom about two weeks ahead of the others. Of course, none of this is an exact science.
“We invite residents and visitors to go all out in celebrating the beautiful cherry blossom trees,” said Diana Mayhew, President and CEO of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
D.C. leaders, Mike Litterst with the National Park Service said warm weather could mean an earlier peak bloom than normal.
"We know that heat is what breaks dormancy in trees, and what drives them to blossom... So it shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone if peak bloom occurs earlier than the average historic date of April 4," he said.
The weather rollercoaster in the District has been tough on the indicator tree, too.
"The indicator tree at one point was showing four distinct phases of the bloom cycle depending on what branches you looked at on that tree," Litterst told WUSA9 Wednesday morning.
As social media stays glued to the phases of the cherry blossoms, Litterst said we are inching closer to phase two.
"We're on the cusp," he said.
The official announcement of predicted peak bloom dates is scheduled for 11 a.m. The National Cherry Blossom Festival runs from March 20 through April 16, 2023.