|
|
| Floods
and Storms |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
1937 Snowstorm Brings 27
Inches of Snow
"Yes, This is Salem," read the caption of a
front page photo in the Capital Journal on February 1,
1937. During an eighteen-hour stretch the previous day,
the City of Salem had received 27 inches of snow--one
of the heaviest snows Salem has ever seen. That December
had been a cold one for the City; snow earlier in the
month had brought relief from a cold snap which saw daytime
temperatures in the City at seven degrees above zero.
Floating ice on the Willamette River had caused problems.
Learn More |
|
Columbus Day Storm, 1962
Any Salem resident who lived through the Columbus Day
Storm will never for-get it. Although it is generally
believed to have been a hurricane, the Columbus Day Storm
was actually an "extra tropical cyclone," a
weather pattern formed when a cool air mass meets up with
a warm one. In addition, the Columbus Day Storm traveled
very fast: nearly 1,800 miles in less than one-and-a-half
days, much faster than a hurricane. At its peak, between
4 p.m. and 7 p.m. that Friday, it brought gusts of 90
m.p.h. and sustained winds of over 70 m.p.h. Learn
More |
|
|
Christmas Week Flood, 1964
The 1964 "Christmas" flood followed the pattern
familiar in Salem history: near- record snowfall followed
by record amounts of rain. Snow and freezing tem-peratures
early in the month gave way to warm temperatures and
unrelenting rain - all within a 48-hour period, Salem
received four inches of rain. Accumu-lated snow melted
quickly and, with the rain, created heavy runoff which
swelled the Willamette and its tributaries. By December
22nd, the Willamette was rising at the rate of three
inches per hour at Salem. Basements in the City, including
that of City Hall, were flooding, and storm drains were
clogged with chunks of ice and snow. Learn
More
|
| |
|
|
|
