Near-record-early peak bloom for cherry blossoms in Washington, DC, National Park Service declares

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Crowds take in DC cherry blossoms in peak bloom

It is official, the Washington, D.C. cherry blossoms were at peak bloom on March 17. On Monday, visitors wasted no time checking out the clouds of flowers across the parks.

WASHINGTON – "Considerably earlier" than the average peak date, the cherry blossoms in the nation's capital are in peak bloom. The National Park Service declared peak bloom on March 17.

Historically, the flowers tend to reach peak bloom between the last week of March and the first week of April, with an average date of April 3, according to the National Park Service. So, this is more than two weeks ahead of schedule. St. Patrick's Day was also a week ahead of the National Park Service's March 6 forecast of March 23-26.

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This date is just days behind the record-earliest peak bloom, which was March 15, 1990. And if you are wondering, the latest peak was April 18, 1958, according to the National Park Service.

Why did flowers bloom so early

And that date depends on the weather.

"We're coming off what has been the warmest January on record in Washington," National Mall spokesperson Mike Litterst told FOX Weather in early March, adding that February was one of the top-10-warmest Februarys on record. "So, a much warmer than average winter so far."

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He said that the speedy blooms went from the first day of the bloom cycle, called green bud, to a visible floret in just three days. That is the fastest the buds grew from stage one to two in the last 20 years. 

The first five of six stages of the Yoshino cherry tree bloom cycle.

(National Park Service / FOX Weather)

How long the blooms stick around depends on the weather too.

"Ideally, once we get to peak bloom, we want the temperatures to cool off. Because while we're all excited about the flowers, the trees have one more stage to go. They have to go from flowers to leaves," Litterst said. "Warmer temperatures will accelerate that process. Cooler temperatures will keep the flowers on the trees a little longer."

And keep severe weather away at all costs, he continued. High winds and heavy rain will tear petals from the flowers.

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How long do visitors have to see the peak bloom?

"Under the best of conditions, we can get maybe as much as two weeks out of the blossoms," Litterst said. "Rule of thumb, 7 to 10 days, usually." 

Unfortunately, the blossoms wait for no one. The National Cherry Blossom Festival doesn't kick off until March 20 and runs through April 14. 

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File: The cherry blossoms, called "sakura," serve as a motif throughout the festival events. Here, balloons in the shape of cherry blossoms float above a parade.

(Doug Van Sant / National Cherry Blossom Festival / FOX Weather)

Don't fret, though. The National Park Service defines "peak bloom" as the day that 70% of the Yoshino cherry blossoms are open. The Kwanzan cherry trees bloom about two weeks later than the Yoshino. The Yoshino create single white blossoms, which create the effect of white clouds around the Tidal Basin, according to the National Park Service. 

The Kwanzan trees produce heavy clusters of double pink blossoms. They are primarily in East Potomac Park.

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File: A flowering Kwanzan cherry blossom branch.

(DeAgostini / Getty Images)

There are about 3,800 cherry trees of a dozen different species within the National Mall, Memorial Parks and West Potomac Park.