On April 9, 2013, the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC reached peak bloom.
The Peak Bloom Date is defined as the day in which 70 percent of the blossoms of the Yoshino Cherry (Prunus × yedoensis) trees are open. The date when the Yoshino cherry blossoms reach peak bloom varies from year to year, depending on weather conditions. Cherry Blossom Festival dates are set based on the average date of blooming (April 4), but peak bloom has been as early as March 15 (1990) and as late as April 18 (1958). A second variety, the Kwanzan, grows primarily in East Potomac Park and comes into bloom two weeks after the Yoshino.
The 2014 peak bloom is forecast for April 8-12.
Bloom data from the National Park Service.
Temperature data from the National Climactic Data Center.
Visualization by John Firebaugh. Built with D3.js.