PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Spring has sprung! Well, kind of.
Portland temperatures continue to sit nearly 10-15 degrees below normal as the cherry blossoms slowly come out of hibernation at the Portland Japanese Garden. Late-season snow on Wednesday over the garden has only slowed the blooming process in the Portland Japanese Garden as peak bloom nears in the next week or two.
“We do have a different blooming schedule than the rest of Portland,” said Will Lerner, Communication Specialist for the Portland Japanese Garden.
That’s because of the garden’s high elevation in the West Hills of Portland.
“Typically, we follow the waterfront park for instance. This year, relative to our own experiences, it was a couple of weeks later. Our gardeners indicate that was likely due to the kind of late winter snowstorm that we had at the end of February,” said Lerner.
A gradual warming trend is expected over the next few days in Portland. Temperatures will be near average, in the upper 50s and low 60s. That will only help speed up the blooming process.
“Blooms don’t last for too long. So, it’s about a week. Maybe two? So, we highly recommend that if people want to come see the cherry blossoms they arrange their visit really soon,” said Learner.
As of Wednesday afternoon, some of the trees in the garden had just started to bloom. So, warmer and drier weekend weather in Portland should make for prime viewing opportunities.