WASHINGTON — In an annual rite of spring anticipated by tourists and tens of thousands who are beyond ready to leave winter behind, the National Park Service will announce peak bloom for the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms on Wednesday.
The NPS news conference will reveal the date range for 2019’s peak bloom, defined as when 70 percent of the famous yoshino cherry blossoms are open.
Peak bloom usually unfolds between the last week of March and the first week of April.
Cherry blossoms last year reached their peak on April 5, rebounding after a historic mid-March cold snap killed one third of the flowers in 2017.
Although Wednesday’s news conference will present horticulturalists’ best estimates for the weeks ahead, the NPS cautioned in an online statement, “forecasting peak bloom is almost impossible more than 10 days in advance.”
That’s simply because cold snaps – as we saw in 2017 – or unexpected warming can throw wrenches into early forecasts.
Temperature data show the 2018 – 2019 winter has been warmer than average, as the region is now set to sit through four days of lows dipping into the 20’s.
Despite the inherent uncertainty involved in peak bloom prediction – two events are now set in stone. This year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival is scheduled for Wednesday, March 20 – Sunday, April 14.
The 2019 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K will kick off the morning of Sunday, April 7.
