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‘Tis the season! Cherry blossoms at the National Mall forecast to peak in late March

Peak is defined as the time when 70% of the Yoshino cherry trees have opened

With the Washington Monument in the background, Yoshino cherry trees are in full bloom around the Tidal Basin in Washington, Tuesday, March 30, 2021. The 2021 National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the original gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington in 1912. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (Susan Walsh, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – March and April can be exciting times in the nation’s capital, as the National Mall turns pink, white and red. D.C.’s famous cherry blossoms are expected to reach peak bloom between March 22 and March 25 this year.

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The nearly 4,000 trees that reside in the park were gifted to the U.S. by Japan in the early 1910s, and they have become a major tourist attraction ever since.

In 1990, extremely warm temperatures caused an early bloom on March 15. Contrary, extreme cold in 1958 caused them to bloom on April 18.

Peak bloom is defined as the time when 70% of the park’s Yoshino cherry trees have opened.