WASHINGTON — With a wintry mix likely headed toward the region and some snow and ice still on the ground, the National Park Service gave D.C. residents a glimpse of spring Tuesday, announcing peak bloom time for Washington’s famed cherry blossom trees will be between April 11 and April 14.
At a news conference at the Newseum, Karen Cucurullo, acting superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, told a crowd still carrying winter coats and scarves that the trees should reach peak bloom at that time.
“This is the day we wait for, Washington is ready to celebrate spring,” said National Cherry Blossom Festival president, Diana Mayhew.
Cucurullo said National Park Service crews in charge of monitoring the trees will continue to do so in the coming weeks to provide updates on the status of the blooms.
The average peak bloom date, according to the National Park Service, is on April 4. This year’s prediction falls only slightly after last year’s peak bloom of April 10.
“Certainly we’ve had that really bad cold snap in the last three weeks, with the snow and ice,” said National Parks Service spokesman, Mike Litterst. “The more cold days you have, the longer it’s going to be before the blooms come out.”
Officials determine the peak by the time of year when 70 percent of the Yoshino cherry trees’ blossoms have opened. Litterst said of the 3,700 cherry trees in Washington, 2,500 are Yoshino trees.
Last week, the belt of cherry trees surrounding the Tidal Basin are bare, the branches and trunks poking out from a tundra of ice and snow.
But those trees will soon attract nearly 2 million visitors, officials said, who flock to Washington to soak in the city at its finest.
Lauren Vaughan, secretary of the district, called the celebration the “official start of springtime.”
This year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival is scheduled for March 20 through April 12.
Events throughout the celebration include a waterfront fireworks festival and a Japanese street festival. Seven singing acts have been chosen to perform at the parade that headlines the three-week celebration on its second-to-last day.
Along with promoting international awareness and boosting the local economy through tourists coming to Washington, Vaughan said the festival “unites local businesses, government and cultural institutions to celebrate the season.”
“But this is not only a national or international event, it is an event for the residents of D.C.,” she said. “The festival continues to plant cherry tree plantings in schools and parks around the city, unifying all eight wards.”
A new event this year, the Anacostia River Festival, will connect the celebration to communities east of the river. That festival will be a nature-focused event that will take place by the 11th Street Bridge Park.
The Cherry blossom festival marks the anniversary of Japan’s gift of 3,000 cherry trees to Washington.
