The countdown to cherry blossom season has begun. More than 36 million people visit the nation’s capital each year to see the flowering trees, but those who planned to come for peak bloom may actually be too late. An unexpected string of warmer days has confused the cherry trees and caused them to bloom earlier than predicted.
“Warmer temperatures accelerate the formation of blossoms in flowering cherry trees,” said Mike Litterst, the chief of communications and spokesman of the National Mall and Memorial Parks. “When we get these 70 to 80 degree days, that really moves things along.”
Litterst told the Washington Examiner trees on the Tidal Basin that were completely bare on March 13 are now budding with just one day of 70-degree weather.
Cherry Blossoms are blooming earlier than predicted due to a string of warmer days. Thursday, March 14, 2024 (Amy DeLaura
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