An abnormally warm winter in Washingtonbecause of changing of the climatemixed up iconic cherries capitals, as a result of which they flourished earlier than expected.

Washington’s 3,700 cherry trees will peak bloom between March 22-25, days earlier than experts and, of course, enthusiasts expected, Mayor Miriel Bowser and the National Park Service (NPS) said.

“This year has been a difficult year for tree forecasting,” said Jeff Reinbold, Superintendent of the National Park Service. He says the mild winter, one of the warmest in the capital’s history, as well as the drastic temperature swings, have effectively knocked the trees down, and he likened this year’s phenomenon to “teenager hormones.”

It is noted that unprecedented temperature fluctuations were recorded in Washington, where the thermometer usually exceeded 27 degrees Celsius for one week in February, and it snowed two days later.

Experts explain that early blooming in and of itself is not a problem, unless temperatures drop again now that tender buds are opening. “Early frosts will definitely kill the flowers,” says Reinbold.

For her part, Cherry Blossom Festival President Diana Mayhew notes that the timing of flowering is not unusual, although in her 23 years with the organization, this is the second earliest flowering she has experienced.

She says she and the city are expecting an “explosion” in attendance for this year’s festival, which traditionally marks the unofficial start of Washington’s tourist season.

The 2020 festival ended in complete ruin, with the vast majority of events canceled due to the then rampant Covid-19. In 2021, events and activities have been completely online due to pandemic-related restrictions, while last year’s festival attracted around 1.1 million attendees, a significant drop from the pre-pandemic 1.5 million. Mayhew estimates that visitor numbers will reach, and possibly exceed, pre-pandemic levels this year.

The famous cherry trees of the American capital were a gift from the mayor of Tokyo in 1912. The Japanese Embassy continues to take care of the trees and the annual festival.

Trees retain a “special status” in Japanese culture, explains Koichi Ai, head of customary law at the Japanese Embassy in the US. Their spectacular but short flowering cycle represents “the transient nature of beauty and the eternal cycle of life,” he says.

Source: Associated Press.