National Park Service Switches Up Peak Bloom Prediction Again

Mar 15, 2016

National Park Service Switches Up Peak Bloom Prediction Again

Photo by LaTur.

First, it was happening at the end of March. Then it was supposed to happen this Friday. Now, the National Park Service says that we’ll see cherry blossom peak bloom from March 23-24. NPS cites this week’s cooler temperatures for the switch.

Cooler than forecast temps this week move the start of the peak bloom period to March 23-24. #CherryBlossoms pic.twitter.com/UiiIrd6jE3

— National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) March 15, 2016

The National Cherry Blossom Festival will occur from March 20 to April 17. The exact timing of peak bloom—defined as 70 percent of the cherry blossom trees around the Tidal Basin blossoming—does not impact the attendance of the festival.