File photos
When will the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin hit peak bloom? Storm Team4 has made their prediction. The National Park Service has made theirs. But have YOU?
Send us your guess for when the trees will bloom. Submit the date and time that you think the National Park Service will announce the blossoms have reached peak bloom by filling out the fields at the bottom of this page.
The person who gets the closest without going over will receive a cherry blossom-themed NBC4 & Telemundo 44 prize pack.
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Peak bloom is defined as when 70% of the Yoshino cherry trees around the Tidal Basin are in bloom, which is the final stage of the six blooming phases.
Here are some things to consider when making your prediction (then submit your guess below!):
The temperatures in March:
This is the factor that usually has the biggest effect on when the trees bloom, according to Storm Team4 — and keep in mind that it's been colder than usual lately. Very warm or cool temperatures have led to peak bloom as early as March 15 (in 1990) and as late as April 18 (back in 1958), according to the National Park Service (NPS).
Typical peak bloom times:
"The most likely time to reach peak bloom is between the last week of March and the first week of April," the NPS says.
Current official cherry blossom predictions:
The NPS has predicted peak bloom will be March 28 to 31 this year, while Storm Team4 predicts peak bloom between March 28 and April 3.
Previous peak bloom dates:
You may also want to consider previous years. Last year, the trees hit peak bloom on March 17. And here are the peak bloom dates over the last 10 years before that: March 23 (2023), March 21(2022), March 28 (2021), March 20 (2020), April 1 (2019), April 5 (2018), March 25 (both 2017 and 2016); April 10 (both 2015 and 2014).
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