YAKIMA, WA - The 2026 Northwest cherry season is quickly approaching, with harvest expected to begin around May 25–27. While the season will start with a slower ramp-up, promotable volumes are anticipated to be available beginning the second week of June, providing strong opportunities for early summer advertising and retail support.

According to the recent release, the early spring frost events across the growing region required additional time to fully evaluate fruit set and assess the extent of any damage. Growers and field teams have spent the past several weeks monitoring orchards closely to determine what was held on the trees and where the crop estimate would come out.

The warm weather pattern we have seen over the last few weeks has accelerated crop development and pushed later-season fruit forward, creating expectations for an early harvest window across all districts.

Despite those early-season challenges, the crop outlook continues to improve, the fruit sizing is excellent, and this is shaping up to be a high-quality, promotable crop. The industry is currently anticipating the first major volume peak around June 25, followed by another strong shipping window during the second week of July. This timing should provide retailers with multiple opportunities to build impactful promotions throughout the heart of the summer season.

Northwest Cherries Round 2 Estimate: 18.4 - 19.2 Million Boxes (20lb. Equivalent Boxes)

Growers and industry members gathered on May 13 to finalize the 5-state cherry estimate. The group consensus came in at 18.4 million boxes, while the field estimation team is currently projecting a slightly higher volume of 19.2 million boxes. Our 5-year average is also 19.2 million boxes.

The chart below highlights the 2026 estimated crop curve compared to the 5-year average. While the season is tracking slightly earlier than normal due to warm weather across the growing regions, promotable volumes are expected to remain strong through July. As illustrated in the curve, shipments are projected to begin tapering off by early August as the season winds down.

A West Coast Update

As of May 13, California cherry growers have shipped 3,501,758 (18lb equivalent) boxes. Unfortunately, challenging weather conditions throughout the season have significantly impacted the crop, and the industry is now expecting total shipments to finish between 4 and 5 million boxes. 

While the season will be shorter and lighter than originally anticipated, this creates an opportunity for strong retail performance through focused promotions, premium pricing support, and maintaining excitement as Northwest cherries prepare to enter the market.