Tag: cherry blossoms

Is Climate Change Impacting Korea’s Cherry Blossom Festivals?

Last year the cherry blossoms festivals were moved up due to warmer winter weather and various cities kept them scheduled for the same time this year. However, this year the weather was colder this spring and thus the trees are blossoming at its normal time:

Cherry blossoms are  budding in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Saturday. The annual spring flower festival kicked off, Saturday, with less than 10 percent of flowering rate due to climate change. Yonhap

Cherry blossoms are budding in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Saturday. The annual spring flower festival kicked off, Saturday, with less than 10 percent of flowering rate due to climate change.

Local governments, renowned for hosting iconic flower festivals every spring, find themselves grappling with flowerless venues this year.

The delayed blooming of seasonal flowers, primarily attributed to climate change, has resulted in a significant setback, leaving these venues bereft of their usual vibrant displays.

The Jinhae Gunhangje Festival, Korea’s largest cherry blossom festival that is held in the southern port city of Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, kicked off on Saturday. However, as of Sunday, the city’s flowering rate stood at only 15 percent, with the full bloom phase anticipated to occur later next week, according to the city government. (…….)

Even a month ago, many anticipated the flowers to bloom earlier than usual, again, as abnormally high temperatures were recorded last winter. The country’s average temperature last month was 4.1 degrees Celsius, registered as the highest in February since 1973. 

But the weather changed suddenly in March, with abnormal subzero temperatures and lower precipitation levels, failing to offer the necessary and sufficient conditions for the spring flowers to bloom.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but this sounds less like climate change and more like the weather.

Picture of the Day: The Cherry Blossoms Are Coming

Messenger of spring
Messenger of spring
Women walk through a tunnel of peach flowers at a greenhouse in Cheongdo, 265 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Feb. 27, 2024, in this photo provided by the county office. (Yonhap)

Picture of the Day: Cherry Blossom Season in Korea

Cherry blossom sightseeing in Changwon
Cherry blossom sightseeing in Changwon
Visitors crowd a park to see cherry blossoms in full bloom during a festival in Changwon, a provincial city about 370 kilometers south of Seoul, on March 26, 2023. (Yonhap)

Picture of the Day: Cherry Blossom Closure

Cherry blossom boulevard sealed off over virus concerns
Cherry blossom boulevard sealed off over virus concernsA boulevard abound with cherry blossoms in Pohang, about 370 km southeast of Seoul, is sealed off with a signboard notifying the public of the closure aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, on April 4, 2020. (Yonhap)

Picture of the Day: Cherry Blossom Season Begins in South Korea

Cherry blossoms in bloom
Cherry blossoms in bloomA visitor photographs cherry blossoms in the southeastern city of Pohang on March 16, 2020. (Yonhap)

Picture of the Day: Cherry Blossoms Blooming in Busan

Cherry blossoms in bloom
Cherry blossoms in bloomA brown-eared bulbul is perched on a cherry blossom tree at a school yard in Busan, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on March 3, 2019, a sign of spring approaching. (Yonhap)

Tweet of the Day: Cherry Blossom Festival in Jinhae

Tweet of the Day: Yeojwacheon Cherry Blossoms