The art and science of Japan's cherry blossom forecast

As spring approaches in Japan, the country's weather forecasters face one of their biggest missions of the year: predicting exactly when the famed cherry blossoms will bloom. Japan's sakura (cherry blossom) season is feverishly anticipated by locals and visitors alike. Many tourists plan their entire trips around the blooms, and Japanese flock to parks in their millions to enjoy the seasonal spectacle. "People pay more attention to the cherry blossom season than any other flower in Japan," said Ryo Dojo, an official of the statistics unit at the Meteorological Agency. The most basic element of predicting when the delicate pink and white petals will begin to unfurl is a large data set of temperatures.