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PM Update: Fairly clear and nearly calm tonight. Shower chances tomorrow.

A great cherry blossom viewing day before a cooler and cloudier Monday

Senate Park cherry blossoms (angela n./www.CWG.news/Photos Flickr)
2 min

What a grand day Sunday has been in the Washington area. Temperatures have been in the 60s — and a few spots, mainly south of town, have seen 70 degrees and higher! Soak up the sunshine since we’re back in the clouds Monday with some shower chances. In the meantime, enjoy well-deserved blue skies, especially those unlucky folks stuck in the wedge of clouds and fog into last evening.

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Through tonight: Skies remain clear through midnight. Decreasing northerly breezes calm nicely, giving us a nearly still experience at times. Evening 50s cool to the low to mid-40s by the predawn hours as clouds begin to move in.

Tomorrow (Monday): Our workweek begins with a few peeks of sunshine but we may turn nearly overcast midday as shower chances peak. A weak atmospheric disturbance gives us a few welcome drops, but any rain probably remains light. A small umbrella is recommended, especially by midday and into the afternoon. Despite clouds and rain chances, we should still reach the mid-50s to low 60s in the slightly sunnier spots. Afternoon breezes could gust near 25 mph as they shift toward a more westerly direction.

See Molly Robey’s forecast through midweek. Chat tonight with us on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter at 7:26 p.m. for the weekly Sunday Sunset Live Q&A.

Still (limited) time to see peak cherry blossoms

Peak bloom should last through at least Monday. More good news: Wind hasn’t been high enough to blow off too many blossoms, and cooler weather could slow their evolution into past-peak stage. Still, the sooner the better this week if you can get to the Tidal Basin. The bloomcam shows it’s been crowded Sunday amid the prime weekend weather, giving visitors a good excuse to try going during the workweek instead in an attempt to avoid crowds.

This is probably my final cherry blossom post for the season, so I want to provide you the best and latest information to make a viewing decision soon! Tuesday has a decent chance of peak bloom hanging on, but breeziness returns with sunnier, drier conditions. Warmth by the workweek’s end should accelerate blooms toward past-peak, if they even make it that long.

Everything you need to know about the National Cherry Blossom Festival

In case you worry you may miss this year’s peak bloom, here are three different perspectives found from Twitter that give a good flavor of the peak blossoms in Sunday’s sunny 60s (and without your having the deal with crowds!).

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