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Warmer temperatures and anticipation of cherry trees blooming seem to have prompted more visitors to descend on Washington, D.C. — at least that’s how Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Chief Operating Officer Lem Proctor sees it.



Weekdays between March 15 and March 26, WMATA daily ridership topped the 600,000 mark — and surpassed 2001’s figures.



"We figure that some of these riders may be visitors as well as commuters making their daily trip to and from work," said Proctor in a prepared statement.



And that’s good news: decreased tourism to Washington seriously impacted WMATA’s off-peak ridership following the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.