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elleng

(130,156 posts)
Tue Mar 22, 2016, 06:07 PM Mar 2016

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 22, 2016

UPDATE: The NPS said during the afternoon that 70 percent of the cherry blossoms had reached the “puffy white” stage. That’s the last stage before peak bloom.
It’s not going to take much now to make the cherry blossoms really pop. There are noticeably more out since yesterday, although many of the trees haven’t yet started. The winter blast didn’t end up amounting to much and is now behind us. Warmer weather today through to the end of the week will have them coming out en masse over the next few days.

It was quite chilly this morning, but very pretty and still. Some high clouds caught the predawn light, and there were quite a few more people out this morning–a lot of them photographers and people getting portrait sessions done–to enjoy it. It’s shaping up to be a really nice day, although a bit of a breeze is expected to pick up soon.

If you’re driving in today through the rest of the bloom, the special traffic restrictions around Ohio Drive are now in place. Ohio Drive itself is still open to parking, but it’s a one-way traffic flow running south to north. That also means that the entrances from the Lincoln Memorial end are closed off, so you’ll need to enter the loop off Maine Ave and go by the Jefferson Memorial. It also means that if there are no spots along Ohio Drive you’ll have to exit the loop and start again. If you don’t want to risk doing the loop again, turn left at the George Mason Memorial (just after the Jefferson Memorial), and park in one of the lots under the 14th Street Bridge. If these street names don’t mean anything to you, don’t worry–just follow the signs and you can’t go wrong. And a reminder that I have more details on how to get to the cherry blossoms here.UPDATE: The NPS said during the afternoon that 70 percent of the cherry blossoms had reached the “puffy white” stage. That’s the last stage before peak bloom.
It’s not going to take much now to make the cherry blossoms really pop. There are noticeably more out since yesterday, although many of the trees haven’t yet started. The winter blast didn’t end up amounting to much and is now behind us. Warmer weather today through to the end of the week will have them coming out en masse over the next few days.

It was quite chilly this morning, but very pretty and still. Some high clouds caught the predawn light, and there were quite a few more people out this morning–a lot of them photographers and people getting portrait sessions done–to enjoy it. It’s shaping up to be a really nice day, although a bit of a breeze is expected to pick up soon.

If you’re driving in today through the rest of the bloom, the special traffic restrictions around Ohio Drive are now in place. Ohio Drive itself is still open to parking, but it’s a one-way traffic flow running south to north. That also means that the entrances from the Lincoln Memorial end are closed off, so you’ll need to enter the loop off Maine Ave and go by the Jefferson Memorial. It also means that if there are no spots along Ohio Drive you’ll have to exit the loop and start again. If you don’t want to risk doing the loop again, turn left at the George Mason Memorial (just after the Jefferson Memorial), and park in one of the lots under the 14th Street Bridge. If these street names don’t mean anything to you, don’t worry–just follow the signs and you can’t go wrong. And a reminder that I have more details on how to get to the cherry blossoms here.

http://cherryblossomwatch.com/cherry-blossom-watch-march-22-2016/

2016 Cherry Blossom Peak Bloom Forecasts
When will Washington DC's cherry blossoms reach peak bloom in 2016?

http://cherryblossomwatch.com/peak-bloom-forecast/

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