Welcome to your Bountiful Bloom Summary for the 2026 growing season.
Let's dive into the summary of how the 2026 Almond Bloom went.
Based on observational submissions, the overall duration of the 2026 almond bloom was slightly below average.
Observations for green-tip through petal fall bring the 2026 bloom length to 30 days, down -6 days over last year and down -1 day over California's 24-year average bloom length of 31 days. This average was calculated using public data and Bountiful's collected data via Bountiful Bloom.
Daily observations of bloom this year were consistent throughout the Central region of the state, followed by the South, with very sparse observations in the North. Overall, Bountiful Bloom averaged around 6 submissions per day during bloom.
You can see this below for the 2026 Almond Bloom, showing the progression of bloom stages by region reported by day👇.
The sentiment for the 2026 Almond Bloom was generally average. Bloom observations began with excellent conditions at the start of bloom in early February and then spiked between extremes of excellent and poor when the weather started to hit in the middle of bloom.
👇 You'll see how the bloom sentiment shifted by date per the submissions received from Bountiful Bloom.
This shift in sentiment during bloom can be attributed to the localized weather patterns. Specifically, precipitation and wind impacted sentiment submissions. On days with precipitation, sentiment submissions were reported as poor to average, and on days with no precipitation, sentiment submissions trended from good to excellent.
Below 👇 you'll see precipitation during bloom for Stanislaus County, Feb 1 - March 1, 2026. You can see the direct correlation with rain on Feb 10 and Feb 16, and poor bloom sentiment
The final week of almond bloom in California saw unprecedented high temperatures across all growing regions. Overall average temperatures for the week of February 23 to March 3 were up +2 to +10 degrees Fahrenheit this year, compared to past years, reaching the maximum temperature on February 28th.
Below 👇 you’ll see temperatures for Stanislaus County during the week of February 23.
Chill accumulation for the 2026 almond bloom was sufficient across all regions, with the North at 76 portions, Central at 73, and South at 75. These levels are above the typical threshold needed for proper dormancy release, supporting a timely and relatively uniform bloom, with minimal regional risk from inadequate chill.
❄️ California Cumulative Chill Portions in 2026 across all regions were down -11% to up +6% compared to 2025.
Bloom conditions in 2026 were generally favorable early, with a rapid and slightly advanced bloom onset, followed by a disrupted mid-bloom period where intermittent rain, wind, and cloud cover reduced bee flight and limited pollination during peak variety overlap. Conditions improved late bloom with warmer and drier weather, supporting remaining pollination, though overall efficiency was likely uneven due to the compressed bloom window and mid-period weather interruptions.
Comments on the 2026 crop size...
We've already heard speculative crop estimates ranging from 2.6B to 3.0B Lbs. We find the early crop size speculation to be too soon.
Why? Because 'good' or 'bad' blooms do not result in high or low new crop supply. Several more factors affect almond production.
And with that, let's get into when Bountiful's first machine learning forecasts will be released...
Bountiful's first of four almond forecasts for yield, acreage, and production for 2026 will be released in the first half of April, exclusive to Premium Subscribers of Bountiful.
And yes, that's right around the corner, so stay tuned as we move into forecasting season 😎!
✉️ Email Megan to learn about Bountiful's Premium Subscriptions
Taken March 30, 2026 in Merced County. 📸 by Tim B.
Thank you to everyone who shared observations during the 2026 almond bloom. This dataset and summary would not have been possible without you 💜. And to those who followed along with our Bountiful Bloom updates, thank you for being part of it!