A “confusing” changing climate has prompted Washington DC’s famous cherry blossoms to appear earlier than expected this year due to an unusually warm winter. The district’s 3,700 cherry blossom trees are expected to reach peak bloom March 22-25 – several days earlier than previously expected.

Cherry Blossom Festival President Diana Mayhew said this year’s bloom dates aren’t unprecedented, but they’re the second earliest she had witnessed in 23 years with the organization. As a result, her organization has accelerated their own timetable, moving up multiple events planned at the Tidal Basin by a week.

Mayhew said she and city officials are expecting a boom year for the festival, which typically signals the unofficial start of DC’s tourist season.

Last year’s season drew an estimated 1.1 million visitors – close to the pre-pandemic average of 1.5 million.

“This has been a challenging year to read the trees,” said Jeff Reinbold, National Park Service superintendent for the national mall and memorial parks, who adds that one of the warmest winters on record, plus dramatic fluctuations in temperature have essentially sent confusing signals to the trees.

The district’s winter featured dramatic temperature shifts, including a week in February where it hit 27 degree C one day and briefly snowed two days later. The end results, Reinbold said, are trees that he compared to a hormonal teenager. “There’s a lot going on in there,” he said.

The early bloom, by itself, isn’t a huge problem, unless the temperatures drop suddenly again now that the vulnerable blossoms are emerging. “An early frost would definitely damage the blossoms,” Reinbold said.

Washington’s cherry blossoms date back 111 years to an original 1912 gift of 3,000 trees from the mayor of Tokyo. The Japanese embassy has remained deeply involved in their maintenance and in the annual festival – organizing a host of cherry blossom-themed events and performances.