High Park cherry blossoms in Toronto are going to bloom sooner than you think

The weather in Toronto wasn't off to a great start this weekend, but now that the sun's back in full force (for today, at least), those patiently waiting for the High Park cherry blossoms to bloom don't have to wait much longer.

The first bloom actually arrived on Saturday, but with the city drenched in rain, it was mostly overlooked. Who wants to stroll through a park in a downpour anyway?

Local cherry blossom expert, Sakura Steve, who tracks the trees every year on his website, Sakura in High Park, shared the exciting update on Saturday. 

Though many clusters scattered throughout the park were still tightly closed, one area atop Cherry Hill was showing surprising progress. "Most of the blossom buds were now showing bright pink and white tips, which are actually their petals once they unfurl," Steve wrote. 

All that a small cluster of white bulbs needs, according to Steve, is one more day of sunshine (like today!) to begin blooming. 

Steve shared that by mid-week, cherry blossoms at High Park should be "close to full bloom," meaning at least 70 per cent of trees will have blossoming bulbs on Tuesday, April 28. 

However, the forecasted rain and cloudy conditions ahead may put a damper on the slow but steady progress. Temperatures will reach a high of 17 C on Tuesday before cooling down on Wednesday, with temperatures expected to drop to 11 C. 

Regardless, by the end of April and into the first weekend in May, the cherry blossoms will be in full bloom, so be sure to work a trip to High Park into your late-week and weekend plans. Just don't forget to bring an umbrella with you.