Despite challenges, it’s a banner year for wine up and down the West Coast. Above, a harvest rainbow at WeatherEye Vineyard in Washington State.
According to the NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), June–August 2024 was the hottest summer on record for the northern hemisphere. While the US West Coast has not been immune to the heat, it’s been far less pronounced than in the north-east. And, for most areas on the West Coast, the average temperature for the last 9 months hasn’t exceeded 1 °F more than normal.
Precipitation has, similarly, been fairly in line with...