Spring nipped in the bud by weather that's the pits

Delicate pink cherry blossoms represent transience, melancholy, "and the honor of graceful resignation," said Akira Takeda, a spokesman for the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle.

So what do wilted, frozen cherry blossoms symbolize, then?

The unseasonably cold weather of the past few days has spelled disaster for some of the ornamental cherry trees around Seattle. Their vibrant, cotton-candy-pink blossoms have been replaced by a brownish goo on the sidewalks below — not exactly the harbinger of spring we'd hoped for.

In Wenatchee Valley, cherry farmers are worried about the unusually cold weather, too.

"It's too early to tell how much damage the cold weather has done," said Sherry Kimmerly, who has grown cherries at Kimmerly Orchard for 20 years. Her thermometer hit 21 degrees on Saturday — the worst freeze she remembers since 1991.

The amount of crop damage depends on a lot of factors, Kimmerly said. "If your buds were very tight before the freeze, the cold weather might not hurt them. If they were already blooming, then, well, you just have to wait a month and see if the blossoms won't come."

Because of the varying microclimates, it's rare that one freeze would destroy the entire state's cherry crop, she said.

On Saturday — that's nearly a month after the spring equinox, for those of you who are counting — snow fell throughout Western Washington, dusting Shelton, Olympia, Everett and Seattle, and burying Snohomish. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was 1 degree short of breaking its record low of 34 degrees, said Johnny Burg, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

Snow has not fallen this late in the year since April 1972, he said.

By Monday night, the Puget Sound area should be warming up, with highs expected in the mid-60s from Tuesday to Saturday. There might even be a little sun Wednesday.

After that, though, hunker down: Expect rain from Thursday through Saturday, Burg said.

So, unpack the winter coat you oh-so-hopefully retired a week ago Saturday, and take to heart that bit about cherry blossoms symbolizing "graceful resignation" — at least when it comes to the weather.

Haley Edwards: 206-464-2745 or hedwards@seattletimes.com