AccuWeather: “In anticipation of the annual springtime National Cherry Blossom Festival, millions of people await the announcement of the peak bloom date of Washington, D.C.’s famous cherry blossoms each year. Flowers from the cherry trees, which were gifted from Japan to the United States in 1912, have bloomed earlier in recent years. Warmer weather appears be the culprit, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson. “Climate change is likely playing a role in this trend toward more earlier peak bloom dates,” Anderson said. “The combination of warmer conditions is allowing the ground to thaw out earlier than it has in the past,” he added…” This link includes videos, graphs and charts – and yes, there are cherry blossom trees of many varieties already in bloom in the DC metro area. These blooms are on average 10 days earlier than over the past several decades. We are certainly hoping not to have a freeze and lose our beloved blossoms.