During the last weekend of June, we were held hostage for three days with temperatures hotter than the Mojave Desert. We broke heat records for all three of those days in a row, with Monday, June 28th setting the new all-time high at 117°F in Salem, Oregon!
Just for reference, our average high June temperature usually sits at 73°F. And let me tell you, that 44°F difference was definitely felt! Luckily, the extreme heat only lasted for three days, and we quickly returned to normal. It’s been the shortest of our once-in-a-lifetime weather events to date.
Obviously, Pacific Northwest dairies are not set up for that kind of heat. It was tough to see the cows definitely experiencing heat stress. Given the extreme circumstances, we all worked hard to keep it at a minimum.