Feeling a bit more like winter than spring this weekend, especially considering wind chills are stuck in the 30s tomorrow! Note to any early or eager gardeners: We’ve got hard freezes the next couple nights. The official growing season still has yet to begin.
Through Tonight: Generally partly cloudy skies. Almost the entire region dips into the 20s, perhaps a couple spots stay around 30 degrees inside the Beltway. Blossoms around the Tidal Basin should be okay under this scenario. A few northwesterly gusts around 25 mph keep the wind chill in the 20s (perhaps upper teens after midnight!).
View the current weather at The Washington Post.
Tomorrow (Sunday): Gusts may offset the sunshine, especially in the shade — you’ll feel those wind chills get no warmer than the mid-30s. An argument can be made that the chilliness reduces cherry blossom viewing crowds perhaps?
West-northwest winds could gust as high as 30 mph in some spots. High temperatures on the thermometer only climb into the low to mid-40s. Winds drop quickly after sunset and with skies remaining mostly clear, temperatures easily fall again into the 20s, regionwide.
See Ian Livingston’s forecast through the start of the workweek. Follow us on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter if you haven’t already. Be sure to check out our Instagram, too.
Blossoms should be okay during the upcoming cold nights
Cherry blossoms have just now reached Stage 5 of 6 today. Peak bloom should happen within the next week! While it’s true the blossoms are more sensitive to temperatures below 28 degrees for several hours when reaching these final bloom stages, we — so far — don’t think cold low temperature durations should reach this damaging threshold downtown along the Basin.
The blossoms are starting to show, now we're just waiting on them to open. This is stage 5 - puffy white. Next stop is peak bloom!
— National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) March 18, 2023
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸/🌸
Follow #BloomWatch online at https://t.co/h04Gu0ksc1#Cherryblossom #WashingtonDC pic.twitter.com/BzDGG20UzC
Keep your fingers crossed a little bit, though! If we hear of any concerns, we will be sure to pass them along. On balance, it’s a very good weekend to go blossom viewing if you have time.
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