WASHINGTON (WDCW) — The National Park Service (NPS) announced Sunday that the cherry trees at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., reached peak bloom earlier than anticipated.
“PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! Did we say PEAK BLOOM?! The blossoms are opening & putting on a splendid spring spectacle. See you soon. 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸!” NPS said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
According to The Hill, Environmental Protection Agency and NPS data shows that this year’s peak bloom date is tied for the second earliest ever.
Though NPS initially anticipated peak bloom beginning on March 23, 70% of the trees along the Tidal Basin reached that stage six days earlier than expected due to the District’s recent warm weather.
“We thought we’d beat the crowd,” said Nick Boston, of Winchester, Virginia. “And that is not the case.”
The Bostons were among the massive crowds that turned out to see the cherry blossoms Sunday afternoon.
“We’re fortunate that we only live about a mile away and are able to come and see them,” said another visitor, Ana Fahey.
She and Nicholas Barrera recently moved from Annapolis, Maryland, and were not disappointed by what they saw at the Tidal Basin.
“This is actually our first time — we just moved to the city,” Barrera said. “We’ve been looking forward to it since we moved in in July.”
NPS says the record for peak bloom happened on March 15, 1990.
The annual Cherry Blossom Festival takes place from March 20 to April 14.
