The countdown to cherry blossom season has begun. More than 36 million people visit the nation’s capital each year to see the flowering trees, but those who had planned to come for peak bloom may actually be too late. An unexpected string of warmer days has caused the cherry trees to bloom earlier than predicted.

“Warmer temperatures accelerate the formation of blossoms in flowering cherry trees,” said Mike Litterst, the chief of communications and spokesman of the National Mall and Memorial Parks. “When we get these 70- to 80-degree days, that really moves things along.”