Cherry blossoms could be damaged by cold snap

Spring’s early arrival in Washington could have severe consequences for its famed cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin. A punishing, longduration cold snap arriving this weekend could cause irreparable damage to the blossoms, which have advanced to a vulnerable stage.

On Wednesday, the National Park Service declared that the blossom buds had reached the peduncle elongation stage. This means at least 70 percent of the buds have flowers on the brink of bursting out. Often, peak bloom occurs within a week of this stage. At earlier stages, the buds are encased and more protected from the cold. Now, they are tender and exposed.

The Park Service’s Michael Stachowicz said some buds have even reached the puffy white stage, in which flowers are starting to emerge. Thursday afternoon’s high temperatures above 70 degrees will only push the buds further along in the bloom cycle.

But today, an Arctic cold front will plunge into the metro region, bringing the coldest weather since January over the weekend and into next week. The National Weather Service predicts temperatures in the low-tomid-20s Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings.

Stachowicz said that once the temperature drops below 27 or 28 degrees for a halfhour, damage to about 10 percent of the blossoms can occur. “If you get one day of 10 percent kill, I wouldn’t be too concerned,” he said. “But three days in a row could start to be pretty damaging.”

He added that if temperatures drop to 24 or 25 over three days, “you start to get into the 90 percent kill range,” which is what the Weather Service is forecasting.

Since the Tidal Basin is adjacent to water, which has a moderating influence on temperatures, it may not be as cold there. But some damage seems inevitable, Stachowicz said.