YAKIMA, Wash. -- When cherry harvest hits, Gary McDowell usually goes to one grower to stock his store. But this Fourth of July, one wasn't enough. McDowell needed six.

"I was able to go to several different growers to get what I needed," said McDowell, owner of Naches Valley Fruit along U.S. Highway 12. "I got a little bit here and a little bit there to stay in supply."

The 2010 crop, which sustained damage from this spring's cool and wet weather, will total about 12 million to 13.5 million boxes, said B.J. Thurlby, president of the Washington State Fruit Commission and Northwest Cherry Growers, a five-state group.

Because of the weather, most cherry picking was delayed, resulting in demand surpassing supply over the traditionally hectic Fourth of July holiday.

"This was the wettest May in the last 50 years. That doesn't help the crop getting going early," Thurlby said. "The earlier we start, the better off we are."

Through the holiday weekend, 4.8 million boxes of cherries were shipped from Washington and Oregon's Columbia River Basin, as compared to the record high of 6.7 million this time last year, said Jon DeVaney, executive director of the Yakima Valley Growers-Shippers Association. In 2008, 2.9 million boxes of cherries were shipped in the same period.

The harvest is expected to continue through the second or third week of August, Thurlby said. Although growers had hoped to have more fruit available by early July, picking is proceeding in full force in Moxee, Tieton and Naches. The goal is to keep consumers wanting more, he said.

McDowell, for one, predicts demand will remain high.

Over July 4, he said he had five cherry varieties available for sale, with Rainier and Bing being the most popular. In addition to a big roadside sign, having a fresh fruit supply keeps shoppers coming through his doors.

"I put the freshest cherries I can get my hands on on the shelf that day, and I get them in every day," McDowell said. "I think that's key."

Northwest cherry export sales account for 28 percent of all sales worldwide, with cherries shipped to such places as Canada, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

According to the most recent data from Northwest Cherry Growers, the value of the Northwest cherry crop is estimated at $540 million, with the trickle-down effect bringing $302 million to the state.

Over the holiday weekend, cherries cost a national average of $2.30 per pound, up 4 percent from the same week last year. James W. Michael, promotion director for the Washington State Fruit Commission, said last year's pricing was depressed due to an abundance of fruit.

* Erin Snelgrove can be reached at 509-577-7684 or esnelgrove@yakimaherald.com.