 Surface analysis of the storm near its peak intensity[1] | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 28, 1962 |
| Extratropical | October 10, 1962 |
| Dissipated | October 17, 1962 |
| Category 3-equivalent typhoon | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 185 km/h (115 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 948 hPa (mbar); 27.99 inHg |
| Extratropical cyclone | |
| Highest gusts | 170 mph (270 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 960 hPa (mbar); 28.35 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 46 |
| Damage | $230 million (1962 USD) |
Part of the 1962 Pacific typhoon season and 1962–63 North American winter | |
The Columbus Day storm of 1962 (also known as the big blow of 1962,[2] and originally in Canada as Typhoon Freda) was a Pacific Northwest windstorm that struck the West Coast of Canada and the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States on October 12, 1962. Typhoon Freda was the twenty-eighth tropical depression, the twenty-third tropical storm, and the eighteenth typhoon of the 1962 Pacific typhoon season. Freda originated from a tropical disturbance over the Northwest Pacific on September 28. On October 3, the system strengthened into a tropical storm and was given the name Freda, before becoming a typhoon later that day, while moving northeastward. The storm quickly intensified, reaching its peak as a Category 3-equivalent typhoon on October 5, with maximum 1-minute sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 948 millibars (28.0 inHg). Freda maintained its intensity for another day, before beginning to gradually weaken, later on October 6. On October 9, Freda weakened into a tropical storm, before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone on the next day. On October 11, Freda turned eastward and accelerated across the North Pacific, before striking the Pacific Northwest on the next day. On October 13, the cyclone made landfall on Washington and Vancouver Island, and then curved northwestward. Afterward, the system moved into Canada and weakened, before being absorbed by another developing storm to the south on October 17.
The Columbus Day storm of 1962 is considered to be the benchmark of extratropical wind storms. The storm ranks among the most intense to strike the region since at least 1948, likely since the January 9, 1880 "Great Gale" and snowstorm. The storm is a contender for the title of the most powerful extratropical cyclone recorded in the U.S. in the 20th century; with respect to wind velocity, it is unmatched by the March 1993 "storm of the century" and the "1991 Halloween Nor'easter" ("the perfect storm"). The system brought strong winds to the Pacific Northwest and southwest Canada, and was linked to 46 fatalities in the northwest and Northern California resulting from heavy rains and mudslides.
- ^ "Daily Weather Maps: October 13, 1962". U.S. Weather Bureau. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
- ^ Burt, Christopher C. (2004), Extreme Weather: A Guide and Record Book, W.W. Norton & Co., p. 236, ISBN 978-0-393-32658-1