Washington Refrigeration Trailer Rentals

What drives cold-storage demand in Washington

Weather and hazards

• Earthquake (Year-round): Seattle sits in a major seismic zone, with the 2001 Nisqually earthquake as a recent example and the Cascadia subduction zone as a long-term threat; the state Emergency Management Division also tracks tsunami risk on the coast. A major quake can interrupt grid power and damage commercial kitchens and cold rooms, which can create a need for emergency cold storage and temporary food service. Source
• Wildfire (July to October): The 2020 season burned about 842,000 acres in Washington, with 80 fires and nearly 300,000 acres burned on September 7 alone; the 2015 Okanogan Complex burned about 305,000 acres in Okanogan County. Large fires force evacuations and business closures, and crews and evacuees often need temporary kitchens and cold storage. Source
• Flood (November to January): In December 2007 the Chehalis River flooded a 20-mile stretch of I-5 under as much as 10 to 15 feet of water, and a major flood in January 2009 again submerged parts of Chehalis and shut I-5. River floods can close roads for days, cut off deliveries of refrigerated goods and damage ground-floor kitchens, which can create a need for temporary cold storage. Source
• Heat wave (June to September): The late-June 2021 heat wave set 128 all-time station records in Washington, including 108 F at Sea-Tac and 120 F at Hanford, and was linked to at least 112 confirmed heat-related deaths; only about 44% of Seattle-area homes had air conditioning. Extreme heat in regions with little cooling infrastructure can overload refrigeration and strain the grid, which often leads food businesses to add temporary refrigerated capacity. Source
• Other (October to March): Windstorms are a recurring hazard in western Washington, including the 1962 Columbus Day storm and the December 2006 Hanukkah Eve windstorm that left about 1.2 million customers without power. Windstorm outages that last several days can spoil refrigerated inventory, which can create a need for temporary cold storage or a temporary kitchen. Source

Power outages

• The December 2006 Hanukkah Eve windstorm cut power to about 1.2 million customers in Washington, with hundreds of thousands still without power several days later and 14 deaths in western Washington. Multi-day outages after major windstorms often force restaurants and grocers to move perishable stock into temporary refrigeration. Source
• During the December 2007 storms, nearly all of Grays Harbor County lost electric service after a Bonneville Power Administration transmission tower was destroyed by high winds, and about 75,000 Washington customers lost power at the peak. Outages tied to transmission damage can last for days in coastal and rural counties, creating a need for backup cold storage. Source
• During the June 2021 heat wave, several Washington utilities recorded record demand, asked customers to conserve, and the Spokane area used rolling power outages to reduce grid load. Heat-driven grid stress can interrupt power at the time refrigeration loads are highest. Source

Food and hospitality

• Washington has led the nation in apple production since the 1920s (about 58 percent of U.S. apples in 2004), mostly from the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys, and also led in sweet cherries and hops. Fruit packing and storage create sharp seasonal peaks that often exceed permanent cold storage capacity. Source
• Washington ranks third in U.S. wine production, with more than 55,000 acres of vineyards and over 940 wineries as of 2017, and ranks second nationally in fall potato production. Wineries and potato processors depend on temperature-controlled storage and can need temporary capacity at harvest. Source
• The Northwest Seaport Alliance of Seattle and Tacoma was described at its 2015 formation as creating the third-largest cargo gateway in the United States, handling more than 3.5 million TEUs that year. Port-area importers and exporters can need overflow or temporary refrigerated storage when volumes surge. Source
• Seattle's Fishermen's Terminal on Salmon Bay has been the home base for the Northern Pacific fishing fleet since 1914, and Alaska cruise ships have sailed from Seattle terminals since the early 2000s. Seafood handling and large cruise provisioning both rely on refrigerated storage that can be short at peak times. Source
• About 90 percent of Washington's wheat is exported, and the state grows a large share of the nation's red raspberries, spearmint oil and hops. A broad export-oriented food economy means many growers and processors handle perishable product that needs cold storage. Source