The National Park Service has announced that peak bloom this year for the signature cherry blossom trees of Washington, D.

The cherry trees in the nation’s capital are confused by Earth’s changing climate, with the iconic blossoms appearing earlier than expected because of the unusually warm winter.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is returning with all its pageantry, hailed as Washington's unofficial re-emergence from two years of pandemic limits and closures.

The 2021 National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the original gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington in 1912. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON – Officials in the nation's capital are watching the crowds as cherry blossom season begins in earnest. “We’re starting to open slowly,” said Cherry Blossom Festival President Diana Mayhew. “Cherry blossom season is our Super Bowl. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a state of emergency on March 11, 2020, nine days before the Cherry Blossom Festival's start date.