By Julie Thatcher
Yakima -- Farmers have been devastated across the Yakima Valley in Washington state, (click here) as strong winds of up to 80 miles per hour, and cold conditions have killed about 1,600 cows according to the Yakima Valley Dairy Farmers Association.
Yakima Valley Dairy Farmers are continuing to prepare as more snow is expected to hit the Valley, they're adding extra bedding to insulate areas for cows to lay in, adding extra feed, and thawing water troughs with hot water.
“Without our employees, there’s no way we, or our cows could survive this storm,” Alyssa Haak , a dairy farmer in Prosser said. “To shield our cows from the wind we stacked straw bales to create a windbreak for our cows. I give a lot of credit to our milk truck drivers, too. Without their bravery, we wouldn’t be able to get our milk off the farm.”
There are approximately 480 dairy farms (click here) and 262,000 dairy cows in Washington (2012). The average herd size is 546 cows per farm. Washington was the only state to add new dairy farms (10) in 2012.
Washington ranks 10th in total milk production among the 50 United States (2012). Total milk production exceeded 6,243,000,000 pounds or over 723,201,000 gallons (2012), an increase of 1.1% from 2011 production levels.
Washington ranks 4 th in milk production per cow in the 50 United States (2012). The average Washington cow produced 23,794 pounds (or 2,760 gallons) of milk in 2012. The U.S. national average production per cow was 21,697 pounds (or 2,517 gallons) in 2012.
Dairy foods constitute the 2nd largest agricultural commodity produced in Washington, with farm-gate production valued at $1.28 billion. Processing and indirect economic effects boost the total value of dairy farming to Washington’s economy to an estimated $5.2 billion (2013)....
The frigid air mass doesn't look as though it is going to end soon.There are all kinds of winter warning and advisory alerts for the northwest.
Western US Water Vapor Loop (click here)
There is another cold air mass right behind this one. Oddly enough, the temperatures over the Arctic Ocean is at least 4 degrees warmer than normal.'
Meteostar Northern Hemisphere Satellite (click here for 15 hour loop - thank you)
February 12, 2019
0900
The fact the Arctic Ocean air temperature is at least 4 C higher means the ice is subliming and rapidly becoming water vapor. The coldness leaving the Arctic Ocean within the water vapor is causing the current weather over the NW USA.
Why is the Arctic Ocean air temperature warmer? Because if one looks to the equator and then follows the water vapor HEAT TRANSFER CLOUDS to the east coast USA while continuing the path to the Arctic Circle; it is clear hot tropical air is currently melting whatever ice is there.
As the hot air rises over the Arctic Ocean it occupies the narrower tropospheric space above the ocean waters. That movement of warm water to the Arctic causes colder air masses (cold air is heavier than warm air) into a movement to lower latitudes. Hence, very cold air over the Northwest USA.
The turbulence (high wind) and deep snow are caused by the mixing of tropical air coming up from the equator to the west coast USA and the cold air masses forced to lower latitudes from the Arctic.
The heat transfer systems have been at work exactly like this since 2002 when the first northern vortexes appeared.
