SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Spring officially began with the equinox on March 20, but if you looked outside your window in Utah, you sure wouldn’t know it. Northern Utah got a fresh new blanket of snow earlier this week, delaying an actual start to spring, warmer weather, and the blooming of the cherry trees at the Salt Lake Capitol.

With the endless winter seeming to never, well, end, it raises the question: Will we get our cherry blossoms this year?

The short answer is yes, most likely. It will just be delayed. But it could also be no if Mother Nature decides not to cooperate.

According to the High Park Nature Centre, the development of cherry blossoms is a temperature-sensitive process. Warm weather will encourage cherry trees to boom early, while cooler temperatures delay the bloom time.

In Utah, cherry blossoms typically reach full bloom around the start of spring, in late March or early April. As temperatures begin to moderate out of winter and into warmer months, the cherry trees begin blooming into their brilliant whites and soft pinks.

Utah’s weather has continually brought cold air and more snow, only delaying the start of peak cherry blossom season. Now that a warming trend is settling in across the state, the cherry blossom season should be coming to Utah soon.

However, an unexpected cold snap could put it back into danger.

The cherry trees will begin blooming in stages. First, a green color bud will sprout on the tree branches. About two weeks before peak bloom, the buds will swell and small flowers will start to become visible. 12 days ahead of peak bloom, the flowers, or florets, will become deep pink in color and start to extend out of their buds.

Six to 10 days before peak bloom, the blossoms can clearly be seen as they get longer out of the buds. This is when the blooming process is very vulnerable. The National Park Service said cherry blossoms can be damaged if a cold snap brings temperatures down to 27 degrees.

As long as Utah doesn’t experience a “second winter”, the cherry blossoms will enter a “fluffy white” stage about four to six days before the full peak bloom. Once 70% of the blossoms are open, the cherry blossoms are considered to be at peak bloom, which typically lasts anywhere from four to 10 days. This gives parkgoers a very short window to enjoy their brilliance.

So when can Utahns expect to enjoy peak cherry blossom season?

Now that Utah’s weather is warming up, trees will begin coming out of their winter hibernation. The Capitol Hill cherry blossoms will begin budding soon, meaning peak blossoming time could fall anywhere between mid-April to early-May.

The best thing to do is to swing by the Capitol building throughout the month and track the trees’ progress so you don’t miss out on the symbolic start of the spring season.