2022 Cherry Blossom Forecast:
Cherry blossoms to bloom first in Fukuoka, Kumamoto, and Kochi on March 22nd
Press Release
On Thursday, January 27th, 2022, Japan Weather Association (JWA) announced the first forecast of the dates when cherry blossoms will bloom at 49 locations throughout Japan.
In 2022, most of the cherry blossoms from western to eastern Japan will bloom at the same time as normal year. However, in parts of Tohoku and Hokkaido, blooming is expected to start earlier than normal.
Last year, new records were set for the earliest blossoms at many locations in Japan, including Hiroshima (where cherry blossoms bloomed the earliest in the country), Fukuoka, Nagasaki, and Osaka. Therefore, JWA predicted that blossoms in many locations will be delayed by approximately 10 days compared to last year. In Hiroshima, cherry blossoming began on March 11th in 2021; however, this year the blossoms are expected to be delayed by over 2 weeks.
Blossom Forecast Map
Forecasted Blossom Date (Main Locations)
| [Explanation of Terms] | |
|---|---|
| Normal | ：The average for 1991–2020 |
| Fairly early | ：At least 7 days earlier than normal |
| Early | ：3 to 6 days earlier than normal |
| Nearly Normal | ：Within 2 days of normal |
| Late | ：3 to 6 days later than normal |
| Fairly late | ：At least 7 days later than normal |
Blossom Trends
By the end of March, blossoms will likely occur in a wide area from western to eastern Japan. In Hokuriku, cherry blossoms will likely bloom by early April in most locations. From early to mid-April, in many locations in Nagano and Tohoku. In late April, the cherry blossom front will cross the Tsugaru Strait and blossoms will occur in Hakodate on April 25th.
This winter, strong cold air flowed into the country and the beginning of 2022 was affected by the cold wave during New Year’s Eve, which caused severe cold weather nationwide. On January 6th, Kanto experienced heavy snowfall for the first time in 4 years, and on January 21st, Kyoto experienced heavy snowfall for the first time in 5 years. Heavy snowfall also occurred even later in many regions on the side of the Sea of Japan, and there were many severe cold days nationwide. As a result, the dormancy breaking* of cherry blossom buds went smoothly.
The temperature in February and thereafter is expected to be almost normal, and the arrival of spring will also be nearly normal in many locations.
*Dormancy breaking: a phenomenon in which the dormant flower buds that were formed in the summer of the previous year come out of dormancy in winter when exposed to low temperatures for a certain period of time.
The forecasted blossom dates for cherry trees in all 49 locations are available on the cherry blossom forecast page (https://tenki.jp/sakura/expectation/) of “tenki.jp,” the weather forecast media operated by Japan Weather Association (Japanese only).
Originally released in Japanese on January 27th, 2022
PDF DOWNLOAD：sakura_forecast_for_2022
