PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — 60 years ago, October 12, 1962, the Columbus Day Storm hit the West Coast from Oregon to British Columbia. Winds topped 90 mph in many places and more than 100 mph in others.
On Saturday, September 24, area meteorologists met at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry for a public discussion to revisit the historic event also known as The Big Blow.
Experts said this storm set the bar for all other storms that may come our way.
“It’s going to happen again,” said Dr. Cliff Mass, a University of Washington professor of atmospheric science. “This is the kind of storm that hits every 100 years or so, so I suspect we’ll see another one during this century sometime.”
During The Big Blow, winds on Portland’s Morrison Bridge were recorded at 116 miles per hour, Corvallis had 127 mph winds and Newport 138 mph.