Photography
The famed cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin in Washington reached peak bloom Sunday after a spell of unseasonably warm weather. This year’s peak bloom tied with 2000 as the second earliest on record and was so early, it preceded the official start of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs from March 20 to April 14.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
March 17
People sit at the Tidal Basin at dawn.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
March 17
Cherry blossoms bloom along the Tidal Basin.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
March 17
Cherry blossoms bloom on a tree nicknamed “Stumpy.”
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
March 17
Cherry blossoms bloom as people gather along the Tidal Basin.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
March 17
People walk along the Tidal Basin as cherry blossoms bloom.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
March 17
People are framed by blooming cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin at sunrise.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
March 15
People snap photos along the Tidal Basin.
Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
March 15
People walk along the Tidal Basin.
Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
March 15
Blossoms surround the Jefferson Memorial.
Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
March 15
A man snaps a photo.
Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Peak bloom, the last phase of a six-stage bud development cycle, occurs when 70 percent of the cherry trees are flowering.
Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
March 14
A student tour group at the Tidal Basin.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
March 14
Cherry blossom buds start to flower.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
March 14
National Park Service tree supervisor Steven White prunes trees on the National Mall.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
March 14
People walk along the Tidal Basin.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
March 14
A person takes a photo of the trees at the Tidal Basin across from the Jefferson Memorial.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
March 14
Cherry blossom buds ahead of the peak bloom.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
March 14
A popular cherry tree nicknamed “Stumpy” blooms along the Tidal Basin.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
March 14
Cherry blossoms frame the Washington Monument.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
Once flowering occurs, the blossoms can remain on the cherry trees for another week or so if it’s warm and winds are light.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
March 13
Diana Castellon poses for photos among the blossoms at Enid A. Haupt Garden near the Smithsonian Castle for her quinceañera.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
Matt McClain/The Washington Post
March 10
Buds begin to show their color.
Amanda Andrade-Rhodes for The Washington Post
Amanda Andrade-Rhodes for The Washington Post
March 8
Cailin Kiefhaber snaps a photo of her daughter as their dog, Simon, retrieves a stick at Congressional Cemetery.
Amanda Andrade-Rhodes for The Washington Post
Amanda Andrade-Rhodes for The Washington Post
March 8
The flowering blossoms at Congressional Cemetery.
Amanda Andrade-Rhodes for The Washington Post
Amanda Andrade-Rhodes for The Washington Post
March 8
The Tidal Basin before the trees began to bloom.
Amanda Andrade-Rhodes for The Washington Post
Amanda Andrade-Rhodes for The Washington Post
March 8
Cherry blossom buds near the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
Amanda Andrade-Rhodes for The Washington Post
Amanda Andrade-Rhodes for The Washington Post
March 8
Amanda Andrade-Rhodes for The Washington Post
Amanda Andrade-Rhodes for The Washington Post
Feb. 29
Visitors gather along the Tidal Basin.
Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post
Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post
Feb. 29
The sun shines through the cherry tree buds.
Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post
Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post
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Credits
Photo editing and production by Stephen Cook and Kenneth Dickerman, Text by Jason Samenow