2007 — Dec 1-4, Winter Storm (The Great Coastal Gale of 2007), OR and WA — 13

—  13  Walden, Michael. “Death toll from storm in Oregon and Washington rises to 13.”

—  13  Wikipedia. “Great Coastal Gale of 2007.” 6-3-2013 modification.

 

Oregon

—  >5  Walden, Michael. “Death toll from storm in Oregon and Washington rises to 13.”

 

Washington

— 8  Walden, Michael. “Death toll from storm in Oregon and Washington rises to 13.” 12-30-07

 

Narrative Information

 

Read:  “A truly historic storm event, the Great Coastal Gale of December 1-3, 2007 will likely be remembered for many years. Over a period of three days, two separate storms lashed the coast with an incessant onslaught of hurricane-force gusts and heavy rain. The region between approximately Newport, OR, and Hoquiam, WA, received the strongest gale since the great Columbus Day Storm of 1962, with perhaps some areas of southwest Washington receiving even a stronger blow. Even though the October 1962 storm proves stronger in overall wind speed at many locations, the December 1-3, 2007 gale completely outclasses the Columbus Day Storm, and probably any other windstorm in the modern record, in terms of the duration of high winds.

 

“According to the December 2007 Local Climatological Data (LCD) publication from the National Climatic Data Center, the peak gust at Astoria, OR, on December 3, 2007 was 94 mph. The peak gust recorded during the Columbus Day Storm of 1962 was 96 mph. Assuming just a 1% error in measure at these unusually high speeds (the error is probably higher), these two peak gusts are comparable. Given the lengthy duration of the December 2007 event compared to the October 1962 event, the most recent windstorm appears to be the more powerful of the two. At least for Astoria.  (Read, Wolf. “The Great Coastal Gale of December 1-3, 2007. 12-6-2007, 11-23-2008 modification.)

 

Walden:  “At least five people in Oregon and eight in Washington have died in storm-related incidents after the high winds and heavy rain and snow that buffeted the Northwest this week.

 

“Sunday [Dec 2]  Doris Hart, 90, of Tillamook died of a “coronary incident.” According to Dr. Paul Betlinski, the Tillamook County medical examiner, Hart had arranged to visit a nearby friend when and if the storm hit and she lost power. Hart, who lives alone, would pack a bag and her heart medications, and then wait for the friend to collect her. She was found Monday morning in front of her home in Southeast Tillamook. A small suitcase and her purse were found nearby. It was unclear whether she was waiting for a ride, but the friend never arrived.

 

“Monday  – Teresa Marie Hurliman, 54, of Cloverdale, was swept away when her truck became stuck in the Nehalem River near Shiffman and Miami Foley roads. Three men rushed to her aid, using the front-loader of a backhoe to try to save Hurliman. But they couldn’t reach her in time and her pickup was swept away with her in the front seat. She is presumed to have drowned.
“- A 22-year-old Mason County, Wash., man died after getting buried inside a home that was hit with a mudslide. Michael A. Glenn was inside a home in the Holiday Beach area when a mudslide washed through the structure at 4 a.m. Rescue workers couldn’t get to the home, which was listed by crews as unstable, until Tuesday. But they couldn’t enter until Wednesday morning when crews stabilized the house. Wes Stockwell, the Mason County coroner, said Glenn died of asphyxiation and suffocation from chest injuries.

 

“- A 57-year-old Aberdeen, Wash., man died after getting hit by a falling tree while clearing storm debris from his yard. Richard Pearsall was pronounced dead from traumatic injuries, said Battalion Chief Damon Lillybridge of the Aberdeen Fire Department.

 

“- An elderly Winlock, Wash., man is missing and presumed drowned after he slid into a creek and was whisked away in Lewis County. Dive teams combed Wallers Creek after the man fell in during the afternoon after he was checking an outflow hose on a sump pump in the basement of his home. The man’s name has not been released.

“- Two hikers — a 33-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man — were killed by an avalanche near Snoqualmie Pass in King County, Wash. A third hiker was rescued and flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was in satisfactory condition.

“- A man in Montesano, Wash., died when his oxygen equipment stopped operating after he lost electricity. Details of the incident, including the man’s name, were not available.

 

“Tuesday  – A 90-year-old woman from Warrenton was found dead in her home, apparently from falling and striking her face, said Dr. JoAnn Stefanelli, the Clatsop County medical examiner. The woman was apparently responding to a window that had been blown out by heavy winds. Stefanelli declined to release the victim’s name because all her relatives may not have been notified in the post-storm confusion.

“- In Yakima County, searchers found two missing Selah, Wash., men dead at Cleman Mountain near Naches. The men had gone out in search of one of the men’s sons and a friend who were stuck in the snow. Authorities said it appears their car went off a road and rolled down a slope.
Wednesday  – Laura Steyaert, 73, of Tierra Del Mar in Tillamook County, was clearing storm debris from the property she shared with her 78-year-old husband, Raymond.  Raymond Steyaert thought his wife was in their home when he drove to their property’s fire pit. He accidentally ran over her with his pickup.

“- A 58-year-old Nehalem man who was helping his daughter and son-in-law clear storm debris from their Gearhart home died of an apparent heart attack Wednesday afternoon. Stefanelli said the man, whose name won’t be released until all his relatives are contacted about the incident, was helping remove downed trees.” (Walden, Michael. “Death toll from storm in Oregon and Washington rises to 13.” Oregonlive.com, 12-6-2007.)

 

For Further Reading:

 

Elliott, Teresa, and Alex K. Tang. Pacific Northwest Storms of December 1-4, 2007: Lifeline Performance. Reston, FA: American Society of Civil Engineers, 2012. Accessible at: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/9780784412336

 

Fought, Tim (Associated Press). “Rain and wind slam Northwest.” Salina Journal, KS, 12-4-2007. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=161729181&sterm

 

Reiter, Maryanne, Hydrologist, Weyerhaeuser Co. December 1-4, 2007 Storm Events Summary (Prepared for Weyerhaeuser Western Timberlands). 2-8-2008. Accessed 12-30-2013 at: http://www.climate.washington.edu/events/dec2007floods/WeyerhaeuserDecemberstorm_2132008.pdf

 

Sources

 

Read, Wolf. “The Great Coastal Gale of December 1-3, 2007. 12-6-2007, 11-23-2008 modification. Accessed 12-30-2013 at: http://www.climate.washington.edu/stormking/December2007.html

 

Walden, Michael. “Death toll from storm in Oregon and Washington rises to 13.” Oregonlive.com, 12-6-2007. Accessed 12-30-2013 at: http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/12/death_toll_from_storm_in_orego.html

 

Wikipedia. “Great Coastal Gale of 2007.” 6-3-2013 modification. Accessed 12-29-2013 at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Coastal_Gale_of_2007