The Pacific Northwest has experienced many violent windstorms:
The Columbus Day Storm, November 1981 Windstorm, Inaugural Day
Storm, and most recently the Windstorm of 1995. These storms
have damaged homes, businesses, public utilities, and left
thousands without power for several days. Hurricanes striking
the Pacific Coast are a rarity, but circumstances combined to
create a near hurricane like storm in October 1962 that hit
northern California, Oregon, and Washington. This storm is often
referred to as hurricane Freida. Although this storm hit during
the Pacific hurricane season, it was not a true hurricane (or
typhoon as tropical hurricane's in the West Pacific are called).
Effects included more than 50 deaths, winds as high as 119 mph,
and a peak recorded gust of an almost unbelievable 176 mph on
Mount Hebo on the Oregon Coast (at that point the wind gauge
failed). The Inaugural Day Storm of 1993 caused widespread
damage from Longview to Bellingham, Washington. The effects of
this storm were significant: