Cold weather has once again pushed back the peak bloom date for the hundreds of cherry blossom trees around the DC Tidal Basin. The peak bloom prediction for the Tidal Basin cherry blossom trees has been updated for a second time by the National Park Service. Now the 2013 cherry blossom peak bloom is expected April 6-8.
NPS initially estimated that a peak bloom would arrive March 26-30 and then changed that prediction to April 3 through 6 after a bout of cold weather in March. April 3 has come and gone and NPS has again shifted its prediction.
"Exactly when the buds will open is not easy to predict and it is extremely difficult to give an accurate forecast much more than 10 days before peak bloom," according to the National Cherry Blossom Festival website.
Earlier this week The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang predicted that the peak would shift.
Their estimate was April 6-10.