Washington, D.C
D.C’s cherry blossoms just hit their earliest peak bloom in 20 years. Here’s why scientists say it’ll keep happening earlier.
The iconic pink and white blossoms that transform Washington, D.C. at the beginning of spring have officially hit their earliest peak bloom recorded in at least 20 years. It’s one of the earliest days it’s happened in the area on record – and experts say it will likely keep shifting earlier.
Peak bloom occurs when 70% of the Yoshino cherry blossoms planted around D.C. open up. According to the National Park Service, this usually happens between the last week of March and the first week of April. From 2004 to 2023, the annual peak mostly occurred between March 25 and April 10, with a few exceptions where it happened as early as March 20.
The service predicted on its website that peak bloom would occur this year between March 23 and March 26, but in an update on Sunday, the service’s National Mall and Memorial Parks posted an update on social media.
“PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! Did we say PEAK BLOOM?!” the agency said. “The blossoms are opening & putting on a splendid spring spectacle.”
The agency confirmed peak bloom arrived on March 17 on its website on Monday. But what exactly makes them open up earlier? Scientists and National Park officials say it all has to do with the weather.
“Peak bloom varies annually depending on weather conditions,” the service says, adding that the typical bloom period also depends on weather conditions. “…Cool, calm weather can extend the length of the bloom, and a rainy, windy day can bring an abrupt end to the ephemeral blossoms. A late frost can prevent the trees from blooming at all.”
D.C.’s predicted peak blossom season is expected to come just days after scientists with the Japan Meteorological Agency said cherry blossoms have been blooming earlier over time due to rising global temperatures.
Daisuke Sasano, a climate risk management officer at the JMA’s Office of Climate Change, said in a briefing last week that overall, global temperatures have been increasing. Scientists have confirmed that 2023 was the hottest year on record and 2024 has already seen record-breaking heat.
“It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land. Climate change is already affecting every inhabited region across the globe, with human influence contributing to many observed changes in weather and climate extremes,” his presentation said, citing the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “Projected changes in extremes are larger in frequency and intensity with every additional increment of global warming.”
Studying a sample cherry blossom tree — called sakura in Japanese — in Tokyo, Sasano said scientists found that the average start date for cherry blossoms to bloom in Japan has gotten earlier, moving up at a rate of roughly 1.2 days every decade. That rate has a “high” correlation with the average temperature, he said. And it’s not just Tokyo — several major Japanese cities have seen earlier blooms over the past 30 years, including Osaka, Hiroshima and Sendai.
The earliest peak recorded in D.C. was March 15, 1990, according to the National Park Service, which added that this year marks the earliest peak in at least two decades. It comes as the D.C. saw above-average temperatures in both January and March. On Feb. 26, Weather Underground recorded a max temperature of 66 degrees Fahrenheit at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport – nearly 16 degrees above average.
Global temperatures are only expected to continue to rise, furthering weather extremes – and impacting cherry blossoms. Even if greenhouse gas emissions – a primary driver of global warming – drastically decrease worldwide today, the emissions already put into the atmosphere will continue to have an impact for decades to come.
Scientists with non-profit group Climate Central have also said climate change is having an impact on blossoms. In 2018, the organization said that from 1931 to 1960, cherry blossoms in D.C. were blooming on average around April 6. From 1981 to 2010, however, the average was April 1. They also predict that in the future, blooms could happen as early as the first week of March.
Last year’s cherry blossoms stayed on trees for a little more than a week. But how long this year’s bloom remains is still a question. The National Weather Service is expecting a cold front into the Northeast U.S. at the beginning of the week that could bring some snow and wind gusts of up to 30 mph across the region, and while cool and calm can extend the life of the blossoms, rain and wind can bring their end.
Washington, D.C
Benjamin Netanyahu to fly to DC for Graham Lindsay’s funeral, meeting with Donald Trump | The Jerusalem Post
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to fly to Washington, DC, on Saturday night, Israeli sources told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
Netanyahu’s visit would mark the first official trip to Washington since the war with Iran, with his last visit in February.
During a recent phone call made by Netanyahu to congratulate Trump on the 250th anniversary of US independence, the two leaders agreed to “meet soon.”
Netanyahu’s main commitment during this upcoming trip will be attending Graham’s funeral, who passed away on Sunday after “a brief and sudden illness.”
Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, mourned Graham in a statement on Sunday.
“Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable. He devoted his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance and standing up for the free world,” Netanyahu said in his statement.
“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend.”
“Our hearts are with Lindsey’s family and with the American people at this difficult time. May his values and initiatives continue to guide us toward victory and peace, and may his memory forever be a blessing.”
Miriam Sela-Eitam contributed to this article.
WASHINGTON (7News) — Some D.C. residents told 7News they are fed up with the no-parking signs that have been added in front of their homes.
For the first time in 70 years, the view outside Anita Marsh’s home has changed.
“It’s very emotional,” said Marsh. “To be in a place where there’s no access to my door, no one can legally park for me to enter and exit my home. It’s frustrating, but more importantly, it’s upsetting. It’s very upsetting. I find it heartless.”
ALSO READ | DC considers tighter rat control restrictions after poison, tracking and trash concerns
Video from Marsh showed what she woke up to on Monday morning. She said the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) installed no parking signs in front of her home.
“How do I walk? How do I get into my house? I’m not very ambulatory,” said Marsh. “I have mobility challenges. So what happens?”
Neighbors about a mile away, over on Kimi Gray Court, reached out with the same frustrations. That’s where 7News met Aaron Harris.
“DDOT put these signs up, these signs, and they are ticketing people who are trying to park in front of their home because they have multiple cars,” said Harris.
Both neighborhoods feel that access to their home will now cost them.
“I’m very nervous because also financial impact is on a retiree,” said Marsh.
7News also got a call from businesses on MLK Jr. Avenue in Anacostia who said DDOT hit them with changes, too. 7News met Ronald Moton in front of his Gogo museum.
“They bring a bus lane without talking to us and take away 29 parking spaces,” said Moton.
Moton said business owners and customers have been hit with $200 tickets.
“This is a community trying to build itself up and survive,” said Moton. “You cannot come and dump stuff like this on us without talking to us.”
“We can’t afford to pay $90 a week or $180 or $270 per week because we’re in violation in front of a property that wasn’t zoned this way,” said Harris. “At least we didn’t know it was owned that way until the signs went up and they started getting ticketed.”
“I’m very scared. I’m very scared. And very upset,” said Marsh. “I’m not going to be able to stay in my house. Then I’m going to be forced to go elsewhere. Because I’m not going to be able to enter and exit my house.”
7News reached out to DDOT and Councilman Charles Allen, who chairs D.C.’s Transportation and Environment Committee, and asked about the no-parking signs community members feel came out of nowhere. 7News has not heard back from either yet.
New office in Tysons, Virginia, brings the firm’s design-build expertise and national resources closer to clients across the capital region
TYSONS, Va., July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ARCO Design/Build, one of the nation’s leading design-build construction firms, today announced the opening of a new office in Tysons, Virginia, placing the firm in the heart of the Washington, D.C. market and directly on the Capital Beltway. The office expands on the presence ARCO has built in the region over many years and brings the firm’s people, design-build expertise, and national resources closer to existing and prospective clients across the District and Northern Virginia.
A significant share of ARCO’s work in the region has originated in the D.C. area. The Tysons office is the natural next step in the firm’s growth, and a commitment built on established relationships with a track record of completed work. With many of those clients headquartered in the capital region and building across multiple geographies, the Tysons office allows ARCO to be closer to decision-makers, active pursuits, and the opportunities shaping the market today.
The office is further strengthened by local leadership, including Drew Enstice, Vice President, whose experience in the region supports ARCO’s continued growth across the Washington market.
“The Washington region has been central to our growth, and the Tysons office lets us meet it with our full strength,” said Aaron Weir, President, ARCO Design/Build. “We’re building on the relationships and successful work we’ve already established here, while bringing the resources of a national builder to a market with growing opportunity across advanced manufacturing, food and beverage, life sciences, aerospace, defense, and other complex sectors that demand precision.”
ARCO’s integrated design-build approach brings design, engineering, procurement, and construction together under a single accountable team from the outset. The firm delivers cost certainty, compressed schedules, and a single point of responsibility that matter most on complex, regulated, and mission-driven facilities.
About ARCO Design/Build
ARCO Design/Build is a national design-build construction firm delivering the strength, resources, and expertise of an award-winning national builder combined with the responsive, personalized service of a local partner. With more than 50 offices and over 1,800 associates across the country, ARCO provides comprehensive design, engineering, and construction services across various industries such as industrial, e-commerce, logistics, data centers, commercial, life sciences, defense and aerospace manufacturing, healthcare, food and beverage, retail, and light manufacturing facilities. ARCO is a 100% employee-owned company through its ESOP. To learn more, visit arcodb.com.
SOURCE ARCO Design/Build
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