Pink buds are visible, but hold on — cherry blossoms are still on the way. Perhaps this week.
As the weather slowly warms up and Washington starts to look more springlike, Northwesterners are eagerly awaiting one of the most-loved parts of the season change.
Thousands of visitors flock each year to the 29 Yoshino cherry trees on the University of Washington’s Liberal Arts Quadrangle to view the fleeting flowers. The trees are about 90 years old, planted on the campus in 1962 after they were first set in a grove at the Washington Park Arboretum.
Most visitors are looking for “peak bloom” — when about 70% of the buds have blossomed. The university offers a live webcam so visitors can monitor the blossoms from afar.
Tokyo, where the pink flowers are the most emblematic, declared the official start of cherry blossom season Monday with the country’s first confirmed blooming.
So when will the cherry blossoms be in full bloom here? The University’s Cherry Tree Phenology Project has the answer down to a science and reported that mid- to late March is a strong estimate for peak bloom. Their data says peak bloom began on March 18 in 2024, on March 31 in 2023, and on March 14 in 2022.
The average date is March 23, with a window to see blooming between March 12 and April 3.
Obviously, we are later than the earliest of these dates this year, and as the climate changes, that window has moved farther into spring.
Researchers told The Seattle Times in February that the exact date of the bloom is hard to nail down, but that the flowering trees need a period of cold weather to initiate dormancy followed by a warm period to trigger bud development and flowering. They were confident that the trees had enough cold weather in the start of 2025.
Warm weather is just around the corner. Seattle may see a burst of warmth on Tuesday with temperatures expected to reach at least 69 degrees.
When the cherry blossoms finally peak, UW recommends visiting on the weekdays or early mornings to avoid the crowd.
Taking public transit can help visitors avoid the hassles of traffic and parking. There are several bus routes that serve the campus and two Link light rail stations, with U District and the Husky Stadium stops.
If you can’t avoid driving to campus, parking is available at the Central Plaza Garage on weekends and in the Padelford Garage on weekdays, according to UW.
But the campus isn’t the only place to catch a peek at the grand pink canopies.
Blossom spotters can also see the famous trees at the Washington Park Arboretum along Azalea Way and inside its Seattle Japanese Garden. The pink trees can also be seen at Seward Park, Jefferson Park, Kobe Terrace Park, Green Lake Park, Lake View Cemetery, Mount Baker Park and Volunteer Park.
Outside of Seattle, there’s Bellevue Downtown Park, Seike Japanese Garden in SeaTac — featuring Kwanzan cherry trees that typically bloom in late April for those who need a little more time to make the trek — PowellsWood botanical garden in Federal Way (admission fee charged) and the Japanese Garden in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park.
