Weathernews released the “Second Cherry Blossom Bloom Forecast” for the cherry blossom season.
In 2023, cherry blossoms are expected to bloom on par with normal in most areas, slightly earlier than normal in the southern Kanto and northern Tohoku regions, and earlier than normal in Hokkaido. Tokyo will be the top blooming city on March 20, followed by Fukuoka, Kochi, and Yokohama on March 21, with blooming in western and eastern Japan in late March, and in Hokuriku and Tohoku starting in April. In Hokkaido, the cherry blossom front is expected to land in late April, with Hakodate expected to bloom on April 23.
Compared to last year, many areas are expected to bloom around the same time. This winter, winter pressure patterns often prevailed, resulting in frequent heavy snowfall on the Sea of Japan side. Cold air moving westward also brought snow to the Pacific side of western Japan. Temperatures were near or below normal in northern Japan, and below normal in western and eastern Japan, suggesting that the severe cold weather has sufficiently broken the dormancy of cherry blossom buds.
Looking ahead, the cold weather is expected to gradually ease and warmer days will increase in western and eastern Japan from late February. Temperatures will tend to be normal to high, and cherry buds will grow steadily toward blooming. In northern Japan, there will be a lot of snow and rain until March, mainly on the Sea of Japan side, but from April, the weather is expected to change periodically and the number of sunny days is expected to increase in the latter half of the month. Temperatures are expected to be higher than normal, and the bloom period is expected to be earlier than normal in the northern Tohoku and Hokkaido regions.
© Source travel watch