The Weather Century- 1962 Columbus Day Storm
One of the century's strongest storms struck the Pacific Northwest in October 1962. The hurricane-like storm affected areas from Northern California up the Pacific Coast to Washington. It hit during the hurricane season and has been given the name Hurricane Freida even though it did not have tropical characteristics by the time it reached the United States. The former typhoon buffeted Portland with winds of 119 mph and the strongest wind in the storm occured on Mount Hebo on the Oregon coast a wind speed of 176 mph. The anemometer shortly failed after picking up that wind gust. The storm started out nine days earlier as a weak typhoon with winds of 100 mph near the Wake Islands but it combined with an extratropical storm that moved eastward across the Pacific then northward up the Pacific Coast. Trees were damaged, numerous structural damage throughout Oregon and Washington. In Richard A Keen's book Skywatch: The Western Weather Guide he stated that the storm, "did not possess a structure typical of tropical storms nor did it produce the torrential downpours of such disturbances when it passed along the Oregon Coast." The October 12 storm killed over 50 people. The Pacific Northwest hasn't seen a storm system that strong since. Marcus Smith, MRS Weather.
MRS Weather
The Weather Century
