Frigid temps in DC delay peak bloom for cherry blossoms
People walk along the Tidal Basin on April 2, 2017, visiting the cherry blossoms in Washington. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)
Cherry Trees around the Tidal Basin frame the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial at daybreak as Washington continues to watch and wait, Monday, March 12, 2018, for the famous trees to bloom. (J. David Ake/AP)
WASHINGTON — The peak bloom period for Washington, D.C.’s cherry blossoms has been pushed back.
The National Park Service announced Monday afternoon that it is pushing back the peak bloom date from the March 17-to-20 window to March 27 to 31 due to colder-than-expected temperatures.
Peak bloom occurs when 70 percent of the Yoshino cherry trees that surround the Tidal Basin are in bloom. The park service says the cherry blossoms’ flowers can last up to 10 days once they bloom.
