Cherry blossoms hitting earlier peaks due to climate change, scientists warn

What we're watching: Cherry trees blossoming early makes them vulnerable to any quick cold snap, which can still occur at this time of year, even if temperatures have been warmer overall.

• "Approximately half of the Yoshino blossoms were lost due to a late frost that occurred March 14-16, 2017," per a statement by the National Park Service in analysis of the trees' peak bloom trends.

Between the lines: Climate Central analysis of National Weather Service data out last week shows the average spring temperature in D.C. has increased 3.6 degrees from 1970 to 2023.

• And while spring is warming, the season is also coming in sooner at the winter margin.
• This trend is also happening in Japan, where meteorologists forecast the national flower would peak bloom on March 25 — the earliest date on record.

What they're saying: Across Japan, "since 1953, the average start date for the sakura to bloom has become earlier, at a pace of 1.2 days every 10 years," said Daisuke Sasano, a climate risk management officer at the Japan Meteorological Agency, in an online briefing referring to the Japanese word for the tree's flowering.

• This is due to the long-term effects of global warming, according to Sasano, who spoke in Japanese via an English translator during last Tuesday's briefing.
• Sasano said if increasing temperatures continued to cause earlier blooms or shorter blossom phases it could "impact tourist destinations where the flowers are considered as important resources."

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