When you hear "cherry blossom," you probably picture the Yoshino species: its flowers are a gentle blush color, and its short bloom period is typically in March or April. The cherry trees need a full month of temperatures below 41 degrees to prepare to blossom. Then, once daytime temperatures are regularly around 50 degrees, the flowers will begin to bloom.
The National Park Service has tracked the peak bloom date of Washington D.C.'s iconic cherry blossoms since 1921. (Peak bloom refers to when the majority of the flowers are in full bloom.) The earliest and latest dates have been March 17 and April 19, respectively, but the 102-year average is April 4 (dashed line).
In recent years, though, the peak bloom date has been trending earlier and earlier. The peak bloom has occured before the average in 16 of the last 20 years.
"Scientists have very high confidence that recent warming trends in global climate are causing spring events such as leaf growth and flower blooms to happen earlier," an EPA article stated.