Sakura Watch, May 4, 2019 - Still waiting for the first blossom to open and even the power of the fourth (force?) wasn’t enough. Overcast skies were also no help in what was supposed to be a sunny weekend. The next few days promise to turn things around with more ideal conditions. This will finally be the push the buds need to begin opening up!

Watch the latest YouTube update below:

Nearly all florets have extended

The next few days now seem to have the ideal conditions that will help the blossom to finally begin opening. Nearly all the florets are extended and well into the fifth stage, so they're just waiting on a few consistent days of warm, sunny weather. 

It's interesting to note that the florets progress varies throughout the trees, which could help stretch out the viewing period as they all won't open at the same time. Let's just hope the weather cooperates this week.

Here are photos of how the buds look today:

First blooms in days, Peak bloom later next week

We should see the first blossoms begin to open in the next day or two. Then peak bloom, when approximately 70% of the cherry blossoms have opened on the trees, is still on track to occur between May 7th - 12th. I’ll be Monday to what promises to be THE day fo witness the first blossoms of the season.

Reminder - Road Closures During Cherry Blossom Season

For those who haven’t already heard, starting Saturday May 4th, at 7 a.m., High Park will prohibit any vehicle form entering the Park (see my special report about the ban and my Maps & Directions for alternative options). TTC Wheel-Trans will be the ONLY exception - no one else will be allowed to drive into the park until the cherry blossom season ends. The City will announce when the park will re-open to vehicular traffic.

So you’re only options are to walk, bike or take TTC. I know and understand that there are some people who will be impacted by this, and this is the first year the City has done this, so there will inevitably be some lessons learned. In the meantime, they do encourage those that there are 14 other locations throughout the city that people can experience the park without any vehicle bans or crowds as large as High Park is expected to have.