Of the tropical storms that form over the eastern Pacific Ocean, most do not reach landfall, except for a few hurricanes that manage to reach the west coast of Mexico. This is due to the prevailing winds. In the tropics, the winds blow from east to west so tropical storms that form in the Pacific usually blow westward, away from North America.
If a tropical storm happens to form in the warmer Pacific waters near Mexico and Central America and moves northward, it will weaken once it hits the colder water off the coast of California. A hurricane that is blowing westward from North America will usually die off before it reaches Hawaii because the water is colder.
In 1962, tropical storm Frieda formed over the Pacific but did not blow westward. It reversed and headed eastward toward the west coast of North America.
Was Frieda a Hurricane or a Typhoon?
Meteorologists follow the rule that Pacific storms which occur west of the International Date Line are called typhoons whereas storms that occur east are called hurricanes.
Frieda was unique because it started as a tropical cyclone near Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean. It moved northeast and then turned around and headed northwest where it gained strength and was classified as a typhoon.
Frieda merged with an eastbound extratropical storm and gathered strength as it headed northeast again towards North America as a hurricane.
Because of changing directions several times, there was no clear cut decision in classifying Frieda as a hurricane or typhoon.
Damage Caused by Hurricane Frieda
Frieda made landfall in northern California and then quickly headed north to the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia on October 12, 1962. The worst damage was caused by wind.
- The San Francisco area was deluged with heavy rain. One of the 1962 World Series games was delayed.
- In Oregon, wind speeds of 145 mph with gusts to 179 mph were recorded in some coastal sections.
- In Washington, a radar station in the southwest part of the state recorded wind gusts as high as 160 mph.
- In British Columbia, wind gusts up to 78 mph were recorded in Vancouver.
Frieda’s wind was so strong that cups on many anemometers (devices used for measuring wind speed) were blown off. At the Mount Hebo Air Force Station, heavy winds ripped tiles from the radar domes. At Western Oregon University (then called Oregon College of Education), the tower at Campbell Hall collapsed.
In all areas, communication towers, power lines and were blown over. Trees fell down like matchsticks. Many cities were without power for weeks. Windows in downtown areas were shattered. Buildings were crushed by trees. Orchards were ruined and barns collapsed resulting in many livestock deaths.
According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration; “People living in the Pacific Northwest started Columbus Day with record sustained winds of up to 150 mph in a violent windstorm. The violent winds killed 46 people and left $235 million in property damage, millions without power and 15 billion board-feet of timber down as far inland as Western Montana”.
The damage sustained in Canada, as quoted by Glenda Luymes in the Vancouver Province, December 18, 2006;” One woman was killed and 42 others were trapped as violent winds flung giant fir trees across the road in Stanley Park. Typhoon Freda cost about $750 million in damage -- about $5 billion in today's dollars”.
Related Articles on Natural Disasters in British Columbia
The Hope Slide in British Columbia
Vancouver Island Earthquake 1946
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