Peak bloom is here!

The Yoshino cherry trees along the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., are overflowing with delicate pink and white flowers. More than 70% of the blooms are open, the National Park Service (NPS) announced Friday morning, marking the start of peak bloom.

Peak bloom is the best time to visit the adored cherry blossoms. Thousands flock to the water near the Martin Luther King, Jr. and Thomas Jefferson memorials every spring to see a sweeping panorama of flora.

“PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! Shout it louder. PEAK BLOOOOOOOOOOOM!” the NPS announced on social media. “It took one more sunrise and warming temperatures, but we’re finally here. Glorious clouds of white and pink cherry blossoms now ring the Tidal Basin, creating a splendid spring spectacle. Come enjoy the beauty.”

Both the NPS and our own Storm Team4 got their blossom predictions exactly right this year when it came to Day 1 of peak bloom. Late last month, the NPS predicted peak bloom for March 28 to 31, while Storm Team4 meteorologist Amelia Draper predicted peak bloom between March 28 and April 3.

Of course, the duration of this year’s peak bloom is yet to be seen. The spring display can last for several days or longer under ideal conditions.

“The length of the blooming period 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,” the NPS has said.

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Where to see the cherry blossoms

The Tidal Basin, near D.C.’s National Mall, is where you’ll find D.C.’s iconic Yoshino cherry trees, plus comfort stations, daily live performances and other fun activities including pedal boat rentals.

When you’re there, stroll the Tidal Basin Loop Trail, a 2.1-mile easy walk, or go for the 4.1-mile Hains Point Loop.

Avoid traffic and parking headaches by taking public transit, walking, biking or another form of transportation. However you want to get to the cherry blossoms, our guide has pro tips!

Blooming cherry trees can be found across the DMV all spring long. Here are other great places to see blossoms.

Saturday will be a great day to see D.C.’s cherry blossoms

Storm Team4 Meteorologist Jessica Faith says blossom viewers will have great weather on Saturday: mild temps and sunny skies. Here’s the forecast.

Be ready for crowds, especially with two major cherry blossom events happening near the Tidal Basin. The National Kite Festival will bring hordes to fly colorful kites near the Washington Monument. At The Wharf, Bloomaroo will celebrate the season with live music and fireworks.

Want to know what’s up for your weekend? Sign up for The Weekend Scene, our newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday directing Vice President JD Vance to eliminate “divisive race-centered ideology” from Smithsonian museums, educational and research centers, and the National Zoo.

Titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” the order states, “Once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement, the Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology. This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.” It goes on to say: “Museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history.”

The order calls for Vance, along with Vince Haley, the assistant to the president for domestic policy and Lindsey Halligan, the special assistant to the president and senior associate staff secretary, to work with Congress to prohibit the Smithsonian from receiving appropriations for exhibitions and programs that, “degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.” It also requests that future appropriations “celebrate the achievements of women in the American Women’s History Museum and do not recognize men as women in any respect in the Museum.”

NPR reached out to the Smithsonian for comment but hasn’t heard back.

The executive order further calls for the appointment of citizen members to the Smithsonian Board of Regents committed to advancing the policy of the order.

This is the latest in a series of executive orders issued by the president since he took office in January aimed at rolling back Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts previously promoted by federal agencies – among them the National Endowment for the Arts’ Challenge America program. It primarily supported small non-profits reaching “historically underserved communities that have limited access to the arts relative to geography, ethnicity, economics, and/or disability.”

This latest executive order blames the Biden Administration for advancing a “corrosive ideology” that, it states, sought to revise historical truth. “Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth,” the order states. “Under this historical revision, our Nation’s unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed.”

The order includes additional provisions seeking to reinstate public monuments, memorials and statues that were “removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology,” as well as improve the infrastructure of Independence National Historical Park in time for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

WASHINGTON – The National Weather Service has placed the Washington, D.C., region under an elevated fire threat on Thursday due to dry conditions, low humidity, and strong winds. The heightened risk for rapid fire spread is expected from late morning through late afternoon.

Dry conditions and strong winds heighten fire risk in D.C. region

What we know:

The advisory covers areas along the I-95 corridor through central Maryland, northern Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Residents are urged to consult local burn-permitting authorities before conducting any outdoor burning.

Those who choose to burn outdoors are advised to exercise extreme caution, as fires can quickly grow out of control under these conditions.

Montgomery County brush fire underscores elevated threat

The elevated threat follows a massive brush fire in Montgomery County on Wednesday that caused concern in Gaithersburg before being contained. The fire, fueled by 35 mph wind gusts, occurred during a Red Flag Warning issued by the NWS.