- Temperatures are expected to hit the 80s in northern Michigan this weekend
- The warming temps will make fruit blossoms bloom
- Prime viewing areas are in northwest Michigan
Attention, flower lovers.
Your chance to see cherry blossoms will be best this weekend as temperatures explode into the 80s on Saturday.
Recently, cherry blossoms have been popping early, around Mother’s Day and before, because of climate change.
But this year is considered more normal by Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center Coordinator Nikki Rothwell.
“(Varieties) golds are at 30%, and emperor Francis is at 50%,” Rothwell said. “The blossom will go really fast if it gets to 80 degrees.”
Some sweet cherries and apple blossoms have reached peak.
Rothwell is surprised how cold it has been this season and reports early freeze damage on sweets and tarts.
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Michigan State University has two new bio weather stations in Leland and Omena that have consistently been colder than most places in northern Michigan.
“We definitely have damage … It’s not looking terrible, and now my concern is pollination for sweet cherries opening and the bees aren’t flying,” Rothwell said. “We will have a good idea of what the crop will look like in a couple of weeks. Everyone is trying to assess.”
Nicole Sprinkles, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Gaylord, said that, to go along with the warmup, Saturday is followed by a brief cooldown before the temperature ramps up next weekend.
For peak cherry blossom weather, temperatures need to be cooler. The warmer it is, the faster they are gone.
“(Northern Michigan in general) will experience some rain that will help some dried areas get relief,” Sprinkles said.
Cherry blossoms in Leelanau County transform a gray and dim landscape into a white and pink reprieve.
Prime viewing spots include County Road 633 between Traverse City and Suttons Bay, up-and-down M-22 and rural roads around Northport, Lake Leelanau and Cedar.
Cherry blossoms, known in Japan as “sakura,” represent the mortality and beauty of nature.
This reporting is made possible by the Northern Michigan Journalism Collaborative, led by Bridge Michigan and Interlochen Public Radio, and funded by Press Forward Northern Michigan.
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