Peak bloom is slowly but surely growing nearer and nearer in the District. On Monday, the National Park Service (NPS) announced that the cherry trees were officially in stage one of six on their way to peak bloom.

Spurred by D.C.’s recent sunny, mild weather, the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms reached the first stage of development Tuesday. The cycle could accelerate soon.

"The most likely time to reach peak bloom is between the last week of March and the first week of April," the NPS says. The NPS has predicted peak bloom will be March 28 to 31 this year, while Storm Team4 predicts peak bloom between March 28 and April 3.