Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve in 2019. Steve Wiesner / Unsplash
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Every spring, Californians hold their breath for one of nature’s most breathtaking displays: a superbloom.
Millions of wildflowers are known to burst into bloom along the West Coast and across the Bay Area—sometimes in such abundance that they can even be seen from space.
Will we see a superbloom this year in California? Here’s a closer look at the latest wildflower news.
2026 superbloom odds
According to a recent article by the Los Angeles Times, California’s superbloom prospects initially looked positive following heavy winter rains.
However, the recent hot, dry weather felt this week in Southern California may have dashed our chances for a superbloom. Wildflowers need at least six weeks of cool weather to grow, but SoCal experienced record warm temps in November, December, and January.
If SoCal gets some cooler weather in the coming weeks, we may still be in luck — we’ll just have to wait and see.
Mori Point in Pacifica. Photo by Matthew Roth on Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED Wildflowers in NorCal vs. SoCal
Southern California’s desert areas are known put on quite a show of wildflowers in the springtime, even if the density and numbers fall short of a “superbloom.”
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is already seeing some early blooms, and other wildflower hotspots are sure to follow, such as Carrizo Plain National Park, Chino Hills State Park, and the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve.
Here in the Bay Area where the warm weather is milder, we’re treated to stunning wildflower fields just about every year. While it’s too soon to tell what 2026 will look like, we’ll have our eye on the Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve, Mount Diablo, Tilden Regional Park, Mori Point, and Edgewood Park and Nature Preserve.
For more of your superbloom questions answered, check our full list of Bay Area wildflower spots.