It’ll hit 70 for the first time this year in Bellingham. Then what?
Whatcom County residents are likely to see their first temperatures above 70 degrees this year, even as a gray and drizzly spring is likely to continue into a traditional “June gloom,” further plaguing Northwest farmers and backyard gardeners.
Partly sunny skies with a high of 73 degrees was forecast for Wednesday, June 1, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle — one of the latest dates with a high above 70 since records started being kept in 1949 at Bellingham International Airport.
Then it’s a week of rain, according to current forecasts for Whatcom County.
Temperatures normally hit the 70s in Bellingham at least once by March, and several times afterward, meteorologist Reid Wolcott told The Bellingham Herald.
“It’s been unusually wet and cool, that’s for sure. It’s been day after day of light shower activity,” Wolcott said.
May’s dismal weather pattern is likely to continue until July, according to the latest forecast from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.
“I wish it was different. It’s been challenging for gardeners. I can attest to that,” Wolcott said.
It’s been such a chilly spring that seeds aren’t germinating, young plants have been stunted and some crops like corn might not be ready to harvest at the end of summer, said Nathan Weston, owner of Joe’s Gardens in Happy Valley.
“It’s been the low temperatures, that’s the thing that’s really been affecting us,” Weston told The Herald.
Peas are faring poorly, along with beans and lettuce, he said.
“The stuff we’ve planted is just stressed. Everything’s going to be a month behind,” he said.
Joe’s, which sells flower and vegetable starts as well as produce from its own fields, has so far avoided serious economic damage.
“It’s been a tough season, but at least we have some income coming in,” Weston said.
But he fears the worst if several crops become ready to pick all at once.
Whatcom County’s celebrated berry crop is suffering too, with growth of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries lagging a month behind what it should be, he said.
“We’re going to be feeling the effects of this spring all summer long,” he said.
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
