NPS Announces 2025 Peak Bloom Prediction
The National Park Service has just announced their initial 2025 cherry blossom peak bloom forecast.
NPS Peak Bloom Prediction: Between March 28 & 31
At a press conference this morning, the National Park Service announced their initial 2025 cherry blossom peak bloom forecast.
They predict that the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin will reach peak bloom between March 28 and 31. That’s right around what has become the average in recent decades.
The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang posted their own prediction yesterday. They expect peak bloom to fall between March 23 and 27. They're expecting a warm March to bring quick progress.
It's important to know that these predictions are not set in stone. It's quite possible for them to be revised or refined as we get closer to the bloom as we see how the weather actually plays out. You can find the latest peak bloom predictions here. And it's worth mentioning that the cherry blossoms stay out for a week or two, so it's not absolutely essential to catch them on the specific peak bloom day.
The photo above was taken yesterday (February 26). You can find more photos from the Tidal Basin taken yesterday on the website. There's not much progress so far, but the warmer weather will help move things along.
Visiting from out of town?
If you’re coming in from out of town to see the cherry blossoms, I’ve put together some resources that I hope you find useful.
And there’s plenty else to see while you’re here, so I’ll feature some of those things from my ExploreDC site here to give some inspiration and a sense of what to expect.
Where to Stay. Some local recommendations.
How Long Do the Cherry Blossoms Last? And some fallbacks if you miss them.
Arriving Too Early or Too Late?
While much is made of "peak bloom," you don't necessarily have to be there on that specific date to see beautiful cherry blossoms. The cherry blossoms are usually out for at least a week or two--again, so much of it depends on the weather. So, a few days before peak bloom and at least several days after (maybe even a couple of weeks if conditions are ideal), you can expect to see cherry blossoms out. I've put together a visual timeline that shows what you might reasonably expect to see in the days before and after peak bloom.
If you arrive before the cherry blossoms in bloom, your timing might be good to catch the saucer magnolias. They generally bloom around a couple of weeks ahead of the cherry blossoms, and they're spectacular in their own right. Here's some information on where to find saucer magnolias nearby.
If you arrive after the main cherry blossom bloom is done, you might catch another variety that blooms a little later. They often bloom around a couple of weeks after the most famous Yoshino variety. They're known as the Kwanzans (or Kanzans), and while there aren't as many of them, they're especially pretty. Here's some information on finding the Kwanzan cherry blossoms near the Tidal Basin.
Do you think the sea wall project will negatively impact the experience such that we'd be better off waiting a year?