Japan cherry blossoms reach earliest peak bloom in 1,200 years

Following an unusually mild end of winter and beginning of spring, cherry blossoms are in full bloom across southern Japan. The early peak bloom date in some areas is unprecedented -- and that's compared to records that have been kept since the ninth century, or about 1,200 years.

As a sign of spring across the country, residents and tourists alike flock to the trees to take in the picturesque scene and snap some photos for social media. This year, some locations are reporting a historically early bloom.

Cherry blossoms reached peak bloom in Kyoto, Japan, on March 26, the earliest date on record, based on the long-standing records. The previous record was set in 1409 when the blossoms reached peak bloom on March 27.

In Hiroshima, the first blossoms opened on March 11, eight days earlier than the previous record set in 2004, according to Japan Forward.

Records about the cherry blossoms have been traced back to 812 AD by Yasuyuki Aono, a researcher at Osaka Prefecture University, using imperial court documents and diaries.

Information about when the cherry blossoms reach peak bloom in Kyoto each year has been used to study the climate for the city.

Since about 1800, the data suggest that the peak flowering date has moved from the middle of April to the beginning of April, the BBC reported.

According to a paper published in the scientific journal Biological Conservation, the local increase in temperature credited with the earlier blossoming is associated with urbanization as well as climate change.

This year, record-setting early flowering of the cherry blossom trees is being blamed on abnormally high temperatures during the end of winter and start of spring.

For the month of March, average temperatures across southern Japan ran about 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit above normal.

In Kyoto, the average temperature for the month is 5.8 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. While in Tokyo and Osaka, the average temperature is 7.2 and 8.0 degrees above normal, respectively.

On March 29, record high temperatures were set across the country, according to Sayaka Mori, a meteorologist for NHK World.

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Motoyama reached 79 F (26.2 C), Nagano reached 78 F (25.8 C) and Sapporo reached 65 F (18.3 C). These readings set new record-high temperatures for the month for each city.

Normal high temperatures across these threes cities during the month of March range from the 50s to low 60s, and normal low temperatures are in the middle 30s to low 40s.

Similar temperature departures were recorded in Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka during the month of February, leading to a warm end to the winter season.

Cherry blossoms are forecast to bloom across northern Japan throughout the month of April.

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