the equal earliest

福岡管区気象台は昨日、福岡市で桜が開花したと発表し、全国で最も早い開花宣言となりました。

Cherry blossoms start to bloom in Fukuoka

The Fukuoka District Meteorological Observatory said Wednesday that cherry blossoms in Chuo Ward in Fukuoka started to bloom that day, earlier than anywhere else in Japan this season.

The blossoming started 14 days earlier than last year and was the equal earliest in the city since observations started in 1953, along with 2009, when the cherry blossoms began to bloom March 13.

The blossoms will likely be in full bloom in seven to 10 days, the observatory said.

The average temperature in Fukuoka since the beginning of March has been about 3.5 C higher than usual, according to the observatory.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T130313004271.htm

the equal earliestという言い回しが目にとまりました。観測開始（１９５３年）以来、「最も早かった２００９年と並んで最も早い。」という意味です。（UG）