One of the most destructive storms ever recorded in the Pacific Northwest, with gusts possibly exceeding 100 mph and widespread forest and structural damage.
Key Facts
- Estimated pressure at landfall
- 28.45 inHg (Astoria)
- Wind gusts in Portland
- Over 70 mph mph
- Estimated peak coastal gusts
- Up to 138 mph mph
- Trees felled near Portland
- 500–600 over 10 miles of railroad
- Storm center pressure estimate
- Below 955 mb mb
- Notable maritime damage
- Three-masted schooner wrecked at Coos Bay
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
An intense extratropical cyclone, likely with a central pressure below 955 millibars, developed and moved toward the Pacific Northwest coast in early January 1880. The region had already experienced exceptional snowfall, with over five feet recorded in Seattle just days prior, setting the stage for a compounding disaster.
On January 9, 1880, the storm center made landfall just south of Astoria, Oregon. Portland recorded gusts exceeding 70 mph, while coastal areas may have experienced gusts up to 138 mph. The storm destroyed buildings, barns, and fences across southwestern Washington and northwestern Oregon, and drove a three-masted schooner aground at Coos Bay.
The storm caused several deaths and extensive destruction to Pacific Northwest forests, with 500 to 600 trees blown down over just 10 miles of railroad track outside Portland alone. It became known as the 'Storm King' and is considered among the worst storms in the recorded history of the region.