THE COLUMBUS DAY STORM OF 1962

October 12, 1962

A storm of historic proportions hit the states of Oregon, Washington and the province of British Columbia, Canada, sweeping through with winds equivalent to a Cat-3 Hurricane. Wind gusts on the Oregon coast hit 179 MPH and in downtown Portland, 50 miles inland, the winds reached 116 MPH.

This 2012 presentation was produced for the 50th anniversary of the storm. KGW meteorologist Matt Zaffino used actual historic weather service documents and charts to recreate the events that led to the development of the powerful weather system.

Included is KGW archive film, actual historic KGW Radio reports from the day the storm came ashore and photos from the collection of the Oregon Historical Society.

Subscribe:    / kgwnews8  
Get the KGW app: https://kgw.com/appredirect