The last of February's snow has barely melted, but that's not stopping spring. The National Park Service announced Monday the predicted peak bloom for D.C.'s cherry blossoms is April 2-5.
Peak bloom is defined as the day when 70 percent of the Yoshino cherry blossoms are open.
This year's expected bloom dates match up well with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which is set for March 20-April 11. The fest will offer both virtual and in-person events, activities and other ways to celebrate the season.
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You'll also be able to watch the blossoms live on the festival's #BloomCam, which will be on the festival's website and take a virtual tour of the Tidal Basin.
If you hope to try to see the blossoms in person, remember that face masks are required on NPS-administered lands where social distancing can't be maintained, as well as in all NPS buildings and facilities. See more here.
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Diehard blossom fans tend to monitor the weather carefully, because it can cause peak bloom dates and the length of the blooming period to vary each year.
The peak bloom dates are the NPS' best guess at when the blossoms will be in their prime, but sometimes those dates are moved up or pushed back after the initial announcement. The NPS has previously said the most likely bloom times are generally between the last week of March and the first week of April.
"As we say, if you can tell us exactly what the high temperature's gonna be every day from now until peak bloom, we'll hit it exactly on the nose. But, as your meteorologists know, it's not an exact science," NPS spokesman Mike Litterst told News4 in 2019.
Extreme temps have caused blooming as early as March 15 (in 1990) and as late as April 18 (back in 1958).
