The cherry blossoms have peaked early, prompting light crowds over the weekend.

/ Architect of the Capitol

Here’s the good news: After a glorious stretch of unseasonably warm weather, the cherry blossoms in downtown Washington have reached peak bloom earlier than expected.

Here’s the bad news: We’re still in a pandemic. Womp womp.

So should you don a mask and go visit the blossoms? Officially, the National Park Service says “please don’t.” The agency is still encouraging the public to enjoy the puffy white blossoms virtually using the Trust for the National Mall’s BloomCam, spokesperson Mike Litterst says. If crowds begin to form and visitors can’t keep a safe distance from each other, NPS has pledged to shut down pedestrian access to the Tidal Basin.

But on Saturday, sun-seekers were spotted strolling along the water, taking cherry blossom selfies and enjoying the 70-degree temperatures in a responsible manner, Litterst says.

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“It was busy, but it was a fraction of what you would have seen in a quote-unquote normal year,” Litterst says. “We monitored it all day long and it never got to the point where it necessitated a closure.”

The blossoms are expected to remain in peak bloom for 7-10 days under ideal weather conditions, the spokesperson says. Last night’s storms —which saw some wind speeds around 50 mph — threatened to do some damage, but “we probably dodged a bullet,” Litterst says. “It’s so early in the peak bloom that the petals are at their strongest, so they were able to withstand winds.”

This week could get a little dodgy, weather-wise. Temperatures are expected to dip below freezing Thursday night, and that “certainly won’t be the blossoms’ friend,” Litterst says. The agency plans to continue monitoring weather conditions through the week.

It will also be watching foot traffic around the Tidal Basin. Roads in the area are still closed to discourage too many visitors by car, though pedestrians and cyclists are still allowed.

“We’re still following the CDC guidance. We’ll be looking at, can people still move about with six feet of distancing? Are there choke points forming?” Litterst says.

So far, Litterst has been “pleasantly surprised” by the public’s restraint. Though anecdotal reports indicate that drivers who couldn’t access the Tidal Basin on Saturday drove to nearby Gravelly Point instead, leading to a crush of traffic around the peninsula that’s a favorite for plane spotters.

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