Washington’s Cherry Blossoms Reach Near-Record Early Bloom

The signature cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C., have arrived early after a warm winter, matching the second-earliest peak bloom in more than a century of record-keeping.

“PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! Did we say PEAK BLOOM?!” the National Park Service announced on Sunday, trumpeting the arrival of the delicate flowering.

“The cherry blossoms are popping!” the Park Service said. “Gorgeous clouds of white and pink blossoms ring the Tidal Basin, creating a splendid spring spectacle. Come enjoy the beauty.”

More than 1.5 million people descend on the Tidal Basin, a reservoir wedged between the National Mall and the Potomac River, each spring to meander among the hundreds of the Japanese flowering trees as they burst into color, usually around the end of March.

The Park Service had originally estimated that Washington’s cherry blossoms would reach full blossom on March 23. But after an unusually warm winter, the trees reached peak bloom — in case the Park Service statement wasn’t clear enough — early.

About a week early, to be precise.

The flowers usually burst forth between the last week of March and the first week of April, according to the Park Service. Peak bloom is defined as the moment when 70 percent of the blossoms on the trees surge open.