Although days remain before the equinox, so many signs of spring were evident in D.C. on Friday that it was hard to argue that the season hadn’t already made its debut, well ahead of the published timetables.
Washington, D.C
Strong evidence of spring in cherry blossoms, daylight time
In addition, rapid progress was reported Friday toward full bloom of the cherry trees at the Tidal Basin, where they have long been recognized as flowering symbols of spring in Washington.
By Friday, these trees had advanced to the halfway point of their blooming process, according to the National Mall unit of the National Park Service.
In the horticultural terms used to describe the progression of stages, the Park Service said Friday they were at “florets extended”
Only twice in the past 20 years have they reached this stage earlier, according to Park Service data.
Friday offered suitable conditions for these events. The high temperature in Washington reached 61 degrees. That is seven degrees warmer than normal for March 8.
It was also considerably warmer than the average high temperature on March 19, the date on which calendars and astronomy proclaim the arrival of spring this year.