Early cherry blossoms in Washington DC point to climate crisis

Unusually warm weather accelerated bloom cycle of mall's 3,800 cherry trees

Spring has sprung in America's capital, bringing with it a resplendent bloom of white and pink cherry blossoms that is one of the city's grandest annual traditions.

But this year, as Washington DC's residents embrace a relative return to normal after a tumultuous year marked by the coronavirus and civil unrest, the earlier-than-anticipated bloom may point to yet another looming crisis: climate change.