Cherry Blossoms

Local government officials are requesting the National Park Service to temporarily close the Tidal Basin and prohibit tourists from visiting the area. Large crowds still flocked to the site this weekend despite being advised to social distance due to the coronavirus pandemic.

D.C. is closing off a large part of the National Mall and the Tidal Basin to pedestrians, cyclists and drivers in an effort to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. News4’s Darcy Spencer reports.

D.C. Chef José Andrés is promising people paella if they stay away from the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin. His request comes after the National Parks Service asked people to stay home and practice social distancing. Andrés started the #StayHomeCherryBlossomsChallenge to motivate D.C. residents and tourists to avoid the popular site on the National Mall. He tweeted Sunday...

Hundreds of people flocked to the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., Saturday to see the iconic cherry blossoms, prompting the National Park Service to take steps to keep crowds away amid the coronavirus pandemic. NPS urged people to stay away from the Tidal Basin as it has become “increasingly difficult to maintain effective social distancing.” “Quite frankly, the crowds...

Large crowds gathering at the Tidal Basin to see the iconic cherry blossoms prompted the National Park Service to urge people not to go see the trees. News4’s Darcy Spencer reports.

The National Parks Service tweeted Friday afternoon that climbers snapped the trunk of a Yoshino cherry blossom tree alongside the Tidal Basin.

News4’s Aimee Cho went to the Tidal Basin to see how the coronavirus has impacted the area’s busiest season.

Metro shuttered the two stations closest to the Tidal Basin Thursday to keep cherry blossom visitors from crowding stations and trains. The Smithsonian and Arlington National Cemetery stations were closed at 5 p.m., planned in advance. The reason for those closures is so the system can be reserved for essential travel by the likes of employees of the Pentagon, the…

Though smaller than usual, crowds at the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms are cause of concern about the coronavirus. News4’s Jackie Bensen reports Metro closed stations nearby to prevent crowding at stations and on trains.

As cherry blossom season kicks off, social distancing due to the coronavirus has resulted in lower than usual turnouts. News4’s Derrick Ward reports.

With ridership down 70% systemwide, Metro will begin running trains every 15 minutes starting Wednesday. Metrobus drivers will be allowed to skip stops if they feel their buses are too full. As News4 Transportation Reporter Adam Tuss reports, Metro is going as far as telling riders to not take their service to the Tidal Basin’s cherry blossoms.

As springtime tiptoes in, cherry blossom season is right around the corner. Of course, peak bloom is one of the dates blossom watchers anticipate every year — it’s when 70% of the Yoshino cherry trees on the National Mall are fully flowering. It’s a bucket-list-worthy sight (even with the crowds). The National Park Service says that peak bloom is expected…

D.C.’s famous cherry blossoms reached stage four of six on Thursday in their journey to peak bloom, according to the National Park Service. Stage four is known as peduncle elongation, which is the last stage before you see petals. This indicates the blossoms will reach peak bloom within the next eight days, on average, the Park Service said. This...

Spring comes early this year, and so will the cherry blossoms! The peak bloom projection for the cherry blossoms on the National Mall has moved up to March 21-24, according to the National Park Service. Peak bloom is defined as the day when 70% of the Yoshino cherry blossoms are open, according to the NPS. The length of the blooming…

Several events for the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., are now canceled or postponed due to concerns about the coronavirus, festival organizers announced Wednesday.

Storm Team4’s Amelia Draper has the Thursday afternoon and weekend forecasts; plus, an update on the cherry blossoms.

News4’s Aimee Cho shows the budding cherry blossom trees and reports advice for the upcoming National Cherry Blossom Festival.