The cherry blossom front has already reached Sendai.  Many of the cherry blossoms this year bloom earlier than normal, and Hiroshima and Matsue also bloom on the 11th, and it seems that there are many places that are the earliest in the history of observation.  The cherry blossoms form flower buds that bloom the following spring in summer, and the flower buds that have once entered dormancy are exposed to low temperatures for a certain period of time in winter and wake up from dormancy (breaking dormancy), and then grow and bloom as the temperature rises.  Very strong chills often flowed in this winter, but the temperature in November, which is the entrance to winter, was quite high, so the breaking dormancy was not enough, but the effect of the large high temperature in February and March was effective.  Due to its effect, this year’s flowering seems to be much earlier than normal.  This winter was the first weather condition also for Sakura.

桜前線は早くも仙台にまで達しています。今年のさくらは、平年よりかなり早い所が多くなっていて、11日に広島で開花し、松江も14日に咲くなど、観測史上最も早い開花となっている地点が多いようです。桜は夏に翌春咲く花芽を形成し、いったん休眠に入った花芽が、冬季に一定期間低温にさらされて休眠から覚め(休眠打破)、その後の気温上昇と共に成長して開花に至ります。今年の冬は、たびたび非常に強い寒気が流れ込みましたが、冬の入り口である11月の気温がかなり高かったため、休眠打破は鈍かったのですが、２月３月の大幅な高温の影響が大きいため、今年の開花は平年よりかなり早くなったようです。桜にとってもこの冬は初めて経験する気象状況であったわけです。