TOO COLD TO BLOOM:
Cherry and other trees close to bloom are seen along the tidal basin on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Sleet and ice brought by a record winter storm could wipe out up to 90 per cent of the US capital’s beloved cherry blossoms, National Park Service warned yesterday.
WASHINGTON: As the northeastern US braces for the biggest snowstorm of the winter, officials in Washington had other concerns — the fate of the city’s prized cherry blossoms, which draw hordes of tourists every year.
“There is no risk for the trees themselves. They’ve seen snow, cold temperatures, wind,” National Park Service ( NPS) spokesman Mike Litterst told AFP on Monday.
“The concern right now is for the blossoms, not really because of the snow but we are very concerned about the temperatures. (...) The blossoms are so far advanced,” he said.
Damage begins when the temperature drops to about - 2.5 degrees Celsius, Litterst explained.
Washington was under a winter storm warning Monday night, with the mercury possibly plunging into the 20s.
Up to 20 centimetres snow was possible in some areas, along with strong winds – also not a good thing for the cherry blossoms.
The NPS had been predicting ‘ peak bloom’ of the roughly 3,000 cherry trees around Washington’s Tidal Basin — the time when 70 per cent of the Yoshino trees are in full flower — would be sometime between March 19 and March 22.
Hundreds of thousands of people come to the US capital to see the clouds of pink flowers each year. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a top tourist draw, bringing in tens of millions of dollars.
The Yoshino trees, one of the 12 varieties planted around the Tidal Basin, are the most at risk, Litterst said, as they are at a critical stage in the blooming process and especially susceptible to cold and frost.
Only those flowers still in their protective buds are likely to survive the storm, the spokesman said. — AFP