Ice-coated cherry blossoms survive late-winter snowstorm

WASHINGTON - The cherry blossoms held their own Tuesday morning even as the D.C. region's first major snow of the year swept over the Tidal Basin.

The National Mall and Memorial Parks division of the National Park Service said the blossoms were ice covered but made it through yet another scare. They also reached out to FOX 5's Holly Morris who said she was curious to learn how the blossoms fared in the snow.

All eyes were on the trees as winter weather moved into the region Monday night into Tuesday. The peak bloom dates for the cherry blossoms are between March 19 and March 22.

The cold temperatures for the next few days will be a concern. National Park Service spokesperson Mike Litterst has said if the temperature gets below 24 degrees, there could be a 90 percent loss of the cherry blossoms.

The National Park Service also advised passersby not to shake trees that are ice-covered. They said the best thing is to leave the blossoms to defrost naturally.