Washington, DC's Cherry Blossom Trees are Blooming Weeks Earlier Than Usual
Every year in Washington, DC, the National Cherry Blossom Festival heralds the arrival of spring as thousands of cherry trees reach full bloom and coat the area around the Tidal Basin in pink and white. But a series of unusually warm days in February have one local radio station predicting the cherry blossoms will reach peak bloom as early as March 5, according to Travel + Leisure. That's 10 days earlier than the earliest peak bloom in recorded history: March 15, 1990.
In just the last week, temperatures in DC have exceeded 80 degrees, when the historical average is 48 to 50 degrees, according to Travel + Leisure. Signs of florets and peduncle elongation are already being seen and usually occur about 10 days before peak bloom is reached, according to local radio station 97.1 WASH-FM. Such an early peak bloom could be bad news for this year's National Cherry Blossom Festival, which is scheduled to take place from March 20 until April 16.
The Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the mayor of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC, honoring the long-lasting friendship between the United States and Japan. Today, the festival spans four weekends, and more than 1.5 million people visit the Tidal Basin to see the gorgeous blooms, according to the festival's website.
The signs of spring are appearing, but it's too early to call winter done for good, according to The Washington Post. March is a traditionally volatile month that's brought cold air and winter storms in previous years, which may put a halt to the cherry tree's hesitant blooms.
(h/t Travel + Leisure)
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