Washington D.C.
March 1st, I wrote this to a friend: “Temperatures in January & February 2026 were colder than average, which may suggest peak bloom first week of April. However, the National Weather Service is predicting warmer than average temperatures in March, which would accelerate it to end of March.”
March 12 in Washington, the range of predictions regarding peak bloom at the tidal basin suggest March 28 at the earliest and April 7 at the latest. Currently in Washington D.C., according to the National Park Service, the early-blooming Okame Cherry trees were in bloom while the Yoshino Cherry trees at the Tidal Basin had reached the florets visible stage.” While Okame flowers may be affected by frost this week, blossoms that have not yet appeared and will not be affected.
On March 17, both D.C. and Boston will experience a hard freeze as temperature drops below 30º F (-1º C). Furthermore, most of this week, the daily high temperatures in Washington D.C. are very similar to temperatures in Boston Massachusetts. That’s unusual.
Unless the weather in D.C. does something very peculiar in the next 10 days, Yoshino peak bloom should hit between March 30 to April 2.
Boston
In light of how the season is developing in Washington D.C., what does that imply for cherry bloom around Boston? It’s really too early to predict, but … maybe the Okame Cherry begin blooming by mid April and the Yoshino peak bloom around last week of April.
Though it is true that spring weather advances from south to north, the progression is variable from year to year. Some years, spring progress can stall around New York City such that all points north remain on the cold side and flowering trees bloom late. Unfortunately, a prediction of winter’s end from Punxsutawney Phill is useless.