The cherry trees at the Tidal Basin have reached peduncle elongation, stage four of their blooming cycle, the National Park Service (NPS) announced Saturday.
“Peduncle Elongation! It's not funny, it's science. (Ok, it's kind of funny.) We're at the 4th of 6 stages on the path to peak bloom,” @NationalMallNPS tweeted.
The blossoms reached stage three on March 7 and stage one on Feb. 23.
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Puffy white is the last stage before the Yoshino Cherry trees reach peak bloom. Peak bloom is defined as when 70% of the blossoms on the Yoshino cherry trees along the Tidal Basin have bloomed, according to the NPS.
Storm Team4 Meteorologist Amelia Draper predicted the cherry trees will reach peak bloom March 15-20.
NPS has predicted the blossoms' peak bloom as March 22-25.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival takes place March 20- April 16 in D.C.
