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Here's when UW cherry blossoms are expected to bloom in Seattle
It's a sure sign of spring, the cherry blossoms at the University of Washington are expected to bloom in just a matter of days.
SEATTLE - The University of Washington's iconic cherry trees are expected to reach peak bloom this month on the Seattle campus, according to university researchers.
The 29 Yoshino cherry trees that line the university’s Quad achieve "peak bloom" when 70% of their blossoms have opened.
The timing of the peak bloom typically falls between March 12 and April 3, with March 23 serving as the historical average.
When is peak bloom?
As of Thursday, March 12, buds have started to appear on the trees and researchers suggest the cherry blossoms are expected to hit peak bloom on March 20.
"With the climate warming more rapidly in the spring, I expected to see the flowers blooming earlier," said lead author Autumn Maust, a recent doctoral graduate from the UW school of environmental and forest sciences. "But as we dove into the literature and examined the data, we saw a delay in bloom, as a result of winter warming in Seattle."
The university's website gives updates on the bloom status and have set up a camera with a view of the Quad for a live video feed.
"The buds need to accumulate a specific amount of chilling units before they can start accumulating the heating units. When it is not as cold, the chilling units accumulate much slower, so it takes them longer to wake up from dormancy, which is very counterintuitive," said Marlee Theil, a UW doctoral student of environmental and forest sciences.
The trees were originally planted in the Washington Park Arboretum in 1936 before being relocated to the UW campus in 1962. Because Yoshino cherry trees are sterile clones, researchers use them to track how climate warming impacts consistent genetic samples over several decades.
People view the cherry blossoms in the Quad at the University of Washington in Seattle, Wash. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Planning to see the cherry blossoms
Thousands of people travel to the University of Washington campus in Seattle to see the iconic trees in peak bloom.
The university suggests visitors plan ahead before heading to the campus as they can expect traffic congestion, limited parking and some street closures.
The Source: Information in this story came from the University of Washington.
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