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Cherry blossoms peak bloom predicted in early April

The trees’ green-bud stage is already starting to be seen, according to the National Park Service

The Washington Monument appearing over cherry trees
eurobanks/Shutterstock

If two well-awaited predictions are to be believed, this year the Yoshino cherry trees around the Tidal Basin will achieve peak bloom in early April. The National Park Service’s official forecast, announced on Wednesday, puts this arboreal period for 2019 from April 3 to 6, while that of the Capital Weather Gang, published just Tuesday, puts it from April 1 to 5.

The park service defines peak bloom as when 70 percent of the Yoshino cherry trees are open, and it varies each year according to the weather. It comes after an earlier blooming period, defined as the time between when 20 percent of the blossoms are open until the leaves emerge. There is also an even earlier green-bud stage, starting to be seen already.

This year’s Cherry Blossom Festival will run from March 20 through April 14, and it includes a series of special events. Generally, the festival attracts well over 1 million people every year.