WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- Peak bloom is steadily approaching as the District's beloved cherry blossoms have reached stage 5 of six, the National Park Service announced Sunday. The Yoshino cherry trees are now at the "Puffy White" stage, meaning the pink and white blossoms lining the Tidal Basin are starting to show. "...Now we're just waiting on them to open. Peak Bloom is next!" the NPS said, in part, in a post on the X platform. (Courtesy: National Park Service) The announcement comes just three days after the iconic blossoms hit stage 4 on their journey to peak bloom, which the NPS anticipates will take place from March 28 to March 31 this year. Cherry blossom bloom stages: Stage 1: Green Buds Stage 2: Florets Visible Stage 3: Extension of Florets Stage 4: Peduncle Elongation Stage 5: Puffy White Stage 6: Peak Bloom DC goes pink for start of the National Cherry Blossom Festival Peak bloom, which varies annually depending on the weather, occurs when 70% of the blossoms are open. Extraordinary warm or cool temperatures have resulted in peak bloom as early as March 15 (1990) and as late as April 18 (1958), according to the NPS. Last year, the blossoms hit stage 4 on March 15 and reached peak bloom two days later. To track the cherry blossom trees bloom in real-time, click here to view the “Cherry Blossom Cam.” ...read more read less