More typical spring temperatures will save Washington and California’s cherry crops this year

Last year was a cherry disaster on the West Coast and the main cause was the cool/wet weather last winter and spring in California.

This resulted in a very large but late cherry harvest in California at the same time as the larger cherry harvest in the Northwest, which was earlier due to a few warm weeks in May.

With so many cherries available at once, cherry prices plummeted and some orchards in the Northwest had to leave their cherries on the trees.

Cherry Armageddon!

But this year will probably be much better for cherry growers and red fruit lovers like me.

Why? Because California is warmer this year and the Northwest will be cooler in May.

A rich and long cherry season is promised. Let me show you why.

The figure below shows the average temperatures from February 1 to April 10 in Modesto, CA (in California’s Central Valley) from 1950 to 2024.

2023 is below normal, while this year is close to normal. Thus, this year’s California cherry crop will be earlier because of warm weather and lots of rain, so there will be a good harvest.

Typically, California cherry season runs from mid-May to early June, providing plenty of cherries for the Memorial Day weekend. Expect the same this year.

So what about Washington state? With El Nino weakening rapidly, there is no reason to expect a major (above normal) warm period in May.

But what about what’s happened in Washington state in recent months? Below are the average temperatures from February 1 to April 10 in Wenatchee, WA from 1950 to 2024.

This year’s temperatures were a little higher than normal and last year’s were a little lower than normal.

At this time, there is no possibility of a heat wave in May like last year. In fact, the latest 46-day forecast from the most skillful system (Europe Center) shows cooler-than-normal weather until the end of May (see forecast below). That could extend the cherry season into August.

Although my professional expertise is in the field of weather forecasting, I will go out on a limb and suggest a bumper cherry harvest in both California and the Pacific Northwest, and we will have a Long time sweet cherries in his food stores.

I can’t wait.😁