Near Record Early Cherry Blossom Bloom In Washington DC, But 150 Of The Trees To Be Chopped Down Soon

Stumpy, a beloved cherry tree along the Tidal Basin
in Washington DC is to be chopped down along with
150 other trees because of rising tides. Note the water
surrounding Stumpy in the photo. The tree was
damaged by the high water, giving Stumpy a 
Charlie Brown Christmas tree vibe. That's
why people love Stumpy so much and will miss it. 

 The famous cherry trees in Washington DC reached peak bloom on Sunday, one of the earliest such blooms on record.   

People also better enjoy this year's bloom, as about 150 of the trees are about to be cut down.  (Don't worry, there will be plenty of cherry trees left behind to bloom in future years).

THE BLOOM

First, the early bloom. As the Washington Post notes, people have been keeping track of bloom times among the cherry trees since 1921. This year's was tied with 2000 as the second earliest flowering on record. March 15,1990 takes the cake as the earliest bloom. 

The blossoming came earlier than forecasted and before the start of the Capitol's annual National Cherry Blossom Festival, which started Wednesday and ends April 14.

Climate change (of course!) seems to be playing a role in the earlier blooms as well: Per Washington Post: 

"As March temperatures have climbed over the past century, the average peak bloom date has advanced about six days, from April 4 to March 30. Including this year, each of the past five has seen a peak before March 298. Last year it was on March 23 - more than a week early."

Peak bloom has hit before April 4 in 16 of the past 20 years. Looking at it another way, in the 57 years ending in 1978, the trees bloomed on or after April 12 on thirteen occasions. Since 1978, blooms that late never happened again. 

CUTTING SOME DOWN

Washington DC has about 3,800 cherry trees in and around the Tidal Basin and Washington Monument. After the blooms fade this spring, there's going to be about 150 fewer of them.

They are victims of sinking ground and climate change, which is causing the tidal basin to flood the area more and more frequently, especially near the Jefferson Memorial. 

Back in the late 19th and early 20th century, a seawall was construction in the area to keep tides at bay. But the sea wall has sunk as much as five feet. That's mostly because the area was built on mud dredged from the Potomac River, and that mud has settled.

 Meanwhile, water levels have risen by about a foot due to climate change. 

NPR describes the scene now:

"Every day, twice a day, at high tide, portions of the walkway around the Tidal Basin flood with several inches of water. Some of the roughly 2,500 cherry trees around the basin have water lapping at exposed roots; others are completely inundated. Numerous park benches are partially submerged."

The National Park Service this spring will embark on a $113 million project to raise portions of the walkway.  A new seawall will be built, supposedly high enough to withstand about a century of future sea level rise.  They'll be able to build the seawall higher, if it becomes necessary.

To complete this project to keep the Tidal Basin at bay, they'll have to cut down about 150 trees. Once they're done, the National Park Service promises to plant 274 new cherry trees.

STUMPY

One of the victims of this project is the beloved Stumpy.  

Stumpy is the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree of the Tidal Basin. Repeated flooding from Tidal Basin salt water has turned into Stumpy into a gnarled, lopsided mess.  Still, Stumpy persists, putting out fresh blooms each year. 

People love Stumpy's pluck in the face of such adversity, and they are celebrating it and truly mourning its impending demise. 

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-mile and 5K will commemorate Stumpy with its image on race t-shirts and race metals. Stumpy also now has a full-sized mascot.

The Washington Post adds this:

"Clippings from Stumpy will be sent to the National Arboretum to create genetic matches. The hope is to plant little Stumpy clones on the National Mall or nearby parks. The rest of Stumpy and the other trees will be ground into mulch and spread around the remaining cherry tree bases to protect their roots and provide nutrients to the soil."

Sort of the circle of life, I guess. 

I understand the need to remove Stumpy, but I'm going to miss that brave little tree.  

 

Vermont, As Advertised Finally Free Of Rain/Humidity Hell

Water droplets glisten on day lilies Saturday evening
in St. Albans, Vermont after it finally stopped
raining. A drier weather pattern begins today. 

At our house in St. Albans, Vermont last night, we left the doors open, and just the screen shut overnight on the sliding glass doors that lead from our living room to the outdoor deck.  

The result was I awoke this morning to cool, fresh, fragrant air drifting through the house.

 My alarm clock was bird song from outdoors, which wasn't drowned out by the constant hum of the bedroom air conditioner which has been on almost nightly for five weeks. 

I think all Vermonters are relishing in this change in air. The humidity is finally gone! 

SATURDAY RECAP

The transition to better conditions was a little rougher than I thought it would be Saturday. The rain was steadier and heavier for most of us than anticipated. It prompted some scattered flood warnings in Addison County and in the southern Green Mountains between Killington and Okemo.

There was a report of flooding closing roads in Bernardston, Massachusetts, which is right on the Vermont border. 

But, happy to say, I have so far seen no reports of any new major damage. There were probably some minor washouts and high water, but nothing to add substantially to the huge destruction from this month's floods. 

Yesterday's rain brought Montpelier's rainfall to the month to just about a foot which is amazing. Technically, they only have had 11.97 inches of rain,  but I'm calling that a foot. 

Most of the East Coast and Appalachians from central New England south through the Middle Atlantic States weren't so lucky, with major storm damage reported in a number of spots. Widespread flooding was reported in Boston and surrounding communities. 

Washington DC, Baltimore and surrounding areas suffered tons of wind damage as thunderstorm gusts ranged up to 84 mph, as measured at DC's George Washington University Mount Vernon Campus.   In DC, an apartment building lost its roof, and many trees at the Smithsonian National Zoo were toppled. Some of those fallen trees blocked streets.

One person died when a tree fell on a house in Prince Williams County, Virginia.

THE RAIN GRIP IS BROKEN

Back here in Vermont, one big factor that kept the flash flood risk going all month in Vermont was the lack of any real breaks in the rain. Heavy rains hit somewhere in the state pretty much every other day, so soils could not dry out.  

Any heavy rains that did fall would not be able to soak into the already saturated ground and just run off.    Which meant that some downpours that would not be a big deal during most summers would cause flooding and washouts this month.  

Now we'll have a chance to dry out some. 

Today starts that process, as it will be a beauty.  Blue skies, puffy clouds for decorations, very low humidity and temperatures only making it into the 70s.  Get outside and enjoy! 

Aside from the lower humidity, the big break we're getting is a lack of heavy rain until at least Thursday night or Friday. Additionally, we'll have some sunny days with low humidity, which will help dry things out. 

We do have scattered showers and thunderstorms in the forecast for tomorrow, mostly central and south. But they'll move right along so it won't rain much in any one spot. Many places won't see any rain at all. More importantly, there's not that much moisture to work with in the air, so Monday's storms won't be able to generate torrential downpours. 

This all leaves me pretty hopeful that when any potential downpours do reach us in the more humid air expected on Friday, they won't cause any real problems. 

The overall weather pattern continues to feature at least the possibility of cooler air and mostly lower humidity well into August. At least compared to what we dealt with in July. 

 

Stumpy The Cherry Tree Delights Visitors; But Might Have A Grim Future

Stumpy, a struggling cherry tree along Washington DC's 
Tidal Basin, has become a fan favorite, despite, or maybe
because of its distressed look. Photo by 
Kevin Ambrose. 

 Every year, thousands, perhaps millions of visitors descend on Washington DC for the annual blooming of the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin.   

All reports are this year's display was lovely, despite a freeze that threatened things briefly around March 19 and 20.

It all ended well, though, including for Stumpy, perhaps the favorite of all the cherry trees in Washington.

To be clear, as the Washington Post notes, Stumpy is not the world's prettiest flowering tree. Far from it. 

It's the springtime equivalent of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree.

As WaPo describes it:

Stumpy the cherry tree is struggling
because of salt water flooding from the Tidal
Basin.  Climate change and rising sea levels
could cripple other cherry trees. 

"Stumpy is a hollow, stump-shaped cherry tree located on the south bank of the Tidal Basin in Washington. It has a strip of bark on one side that transports nutrients to a few small branches sprouting from its top. 

Throughout the year, Stumpy's roots are flooded with brackish water from flooding tides of the Potomac River, which is harmful to its health. Yet, the tree survives year after year, bursting with blossoms each spring." 

During peak bloom last week, people waited in long lines to be photographed or take selfies with Stumpy. 

Stumpy actually looked a little healthier this year than in previous years. Its main branch has grown enough to frame the Washington Monument if you take a photo from a low angle, notes photographer Kevin Ambrose, who wrote the piece in WaPo.

As goofy and fun as Stumpy's story is, it does signal a potential looming danger. As noted, cherry trees don't do well at all if their roots are exposed to salty water.   Due to climate change, the water in the Tidal Basin will tend to rise and flood more frequently in the coming years and decades.

Since so many of the cherry trees are along the Tidal Basin, climate change could threaten the annual spring spectacle of those flowering trees. 

Two Tornadoes Struck Washington DC Thursday Evening

Screen shot of the U.S. Capitol as a tornado passed nearby
Thursday evening.

 I'm really hoping nobody was on the famed Mall in Washington DC Thursday around 9 p.m.

A rare tornado swept in from nearby Arlington, Virginia to near 16th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, and into the Mall, according to the National Weather Service office in Baltimore/Washington.

Damage was pretty extensive in Arlington, where a man was hospitalized after the tornado tossed a tree onto his house, collapsing the porch. Trees and power lines were downed a greenhouse was trashed and a shed was leveled. Many homes had relatively minor damage, including shingles and clapboards ripped from roofs and walls.  

The tornado continued into Washington DC, and onto the Mall. It passed less than a mile from the U.S. Capitol, White House and Lincoln Memorial. In fact the end point of tornado damage was on the south end of the Ellipse, which is basically next to the White House.

The tornado uprooted and broke numerous trees in the Mall. Fencing erected for this weekend's Fourth of July celebrations were toppled and move and mangled, so that will have to be hurriedly fixed today. 

For comparison, same web cam as above when the weather
is clear, without a tornado

This EF-1 tornado had maximum winds of 90 mph and carved a path that was 4.4 miles long and up to 125 yards wide. 

By no means huge, this tornado was still larger and longer-lasting than many reported across the United States annually.  

Tornado warnings went up ahead of the storm and it seems most people took shelter. There was just that one injury in Arlington. Still, there was disconcerting video on social media of people in the Lincoln Memorial as the tornado passed close by.  

A second, weaker, more brief tornado touched down for a short time a mile northeast of the Capitol. It had top winds of 80 mph and traveled just three quarters of a mile before lifting.

According to the Washington Post, tornadoes are relatively rare in DC, but do happen. There have been three tornadoes in the district since 1950, the most recent in 2017.  That one caused some damage around the Tidal Basin, right near where Thursday's tornado touched down.