NW Washington raspberry harvest down 30% due to heat wave

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — The late June record-breaking heat wave in the Pacific Northwest resulted in a significantly smaller raspberry harvest in northwest Washington. The Bellingham Herald reports the 2021 harvest numbers show Whatcom County farmers brought in almost 44.5 million pounds, according to the Washington Red Raspberry Commission. That’s down 30.2% compared to the 2020 harvest and down 40% compared to the peak year in 2018. The second-lowest total this century was 45.9 million pounds in 2004. The extreme heat turned many berries to mush just as harvest typically begins.