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Cold weather could delay blooming of cherry blossoms

By Nick Iannelli

WASHINGTON — The frigid weather that has lingered in the D.C. area this season could impact D.C.’s famous cherry blossom trees.

According to the National Park Service, peak bloom typically occurs around April 4, but it varies depending on the weather.

This season, peak bloom is on track to be later than normal.

“Cold weather from January to February — that’s really making us behind past years,” explains Michael Stachowicz, a turf management specialist with the National Park Service.

In 2014, peak bloom was April 10. It happened on March 20 back in 2012.

At this point, it all comes down to weather conditions throughout March.

“Even though we’re behind, we’re only a couple 60- or 70-degree days away from catching right back up to where our averages are,” says Stachowicz.

The National Park Service will release an official bloom forecast Tuesday.

When DC froze: Remembering ‘Snowmageddon’ 10 years later

By Alejandro Alvarez
Mountains of snow buried the tarmac at Washington's Reagan National Airport. Sightseers used skis to slide through a snowy National Mall. Snow drifts piled up to the White House's windows. Ten years ago, D.C. bore the brunt of what came to be called Snowmageddon — one of the most severe winter storms in capital weather history. Between 1 and 3 feet of snow fell from Feb. 5 to Feb. 6, 2010: Flights at Reagan ground to a halt under 17.8 inches of snow — tame compared with Dulles, which saw over 32 inches.
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