Remembering the great 1981 windstorm and a thanks to the Coast Guard
If you ask a meteorologist, chances are there was some weather event in their past that sparked their interest in the field.
For me, it was the great "Friday the 13th Windstorm" that struck 31 years ago today. Not only did the storm get me started in weather, it gave me great appreciation for what my Dad and others do as a Search and Rescue pilot in the Coast Guard. On Nov. 13, 1981, the first of two great windstorms pummeled the Oregon Coast on its way to also causing havoc in Washington. Wind speeds were well over 100 mph along the Oregon coast.
My dad was a search and rescue pilot for the Coast Guard at the time, and we were stationed in North Bend, Oregon-- our house nestled amongst the trees on the outskirts of town near the shores of Coos Bay.
My parents had the night off and were out having dinner with friends near Bandon; my then 6-year-old sister and I, 8 years old, were at home with a babysitter. The storm developed so fast off the coast there was really no warning of how powerful it was about to come (Much research has been done into the explosive development of the storm.) Soon as late evening came, the winds came up out of nowhere -- gusting over 90 mph I'd later learn.
My parents tried to make their way home as soon as they could as the storm raged ashore, but trees were falling everywhere and the power was out. It took them quite a bit of time to make the 15 mile drive. Meanwhile, luckily my babysitter's mom came over to help keep everyone calm (and as incredible luck would have it, our home never lost power). My parents finally got home in the late night hours and the babysitter and her mother made it safely back to their nearby home.
That alone would be enough to spark an interest in how weather works. But come to find out the next morning the storm had claimed more than just several trees and power lines.
If you read the recap of the storm (listed at No. 5) you'll see a note there about a Coast Guard pilot losing his life. It turned out a fishing boat was caught in the storm and was in distress. The Coast Guard sent out a crew in 60 mph winds to try and rescue, but conditions continued to deteriorate and it became to dangerous to proceed. The crew attempted to make it back home, but the storm's force was too great and it knocked out the helicopter's engine, and it crashed and capsized into the dark ocean.
The three on board survived the crash, and the co-pilot and crewmember rode the surf to shore. But the pilot, Capt. Frank Olson, was knocked unconscious in the escape and drowned. "Olie" was a dear friend of our family, and I still vividly remember being awakened at 4 a.m. -- winds still howling -- to go stay with a neighbor so my parents could get into the station.
Since that day, weather has been a part of my life, but it also hit home just how dangerous my Dad's job was, and how these men risk their lives on a daily basis to help those in distress.
So again on this November 13, I say thanks to the men and women of the Coast Guard, and especially to the crew of Helo 1353.
For me, it was the great "Friday the 13th Windstorm" that struck 31 years ago today. Not only did the storm get me started in weather, it gave me great appreciation for what my Dad and others do as a Search and Rescue pilot in the Coast Guard. On Nov. 13, 1981, the first of two great windstorms pummeled the Oregon Coast on its way to also causing havoc in Washington. Wind speeds were well over 100 mph along the Oregon coast.
My dad was a search and rescue pilot for the Coast Guard at the time, and we were stationed in North Bend, Oregon-- our house nestled amongst the trees on the outskirts of town near the shores of Coos Bay.
My parents had the night off and were out having dinner with friends near Bandon; my then 6-year-old sister and I, 8 years old, were at home with a babysitter. The storm developed so fast off the coast there was really no warning of how powerful it was about to come (Much research has been done into the explosive development of the storm.) Soon as late evening came, the winds came up out of nowhere -- gusting over 90 mph I'd later learn.
My parents tried to make their way home as soon as they could as the storm raged ashore, but trees were falling everywhere and the power was out. It took them quite a bit of time to make the 15 mile drive. Meanwhile, luckily my babysitter's mom came over to help keep everyone calm (and as incredible luck would have it, our home never lost power). My parents finally got home in the late night hours and the babysitter and her mother made it safely back to their nearby home.
That alone would be enough to spark an interest in how weather works. But come to find out the next morning the storm had claimed more than just several trees and power lines.
If you read the recap of the storm (listed at No. 5) you'll see a note there about a Coast Guard pilot losing his life. It turned out a fishing boat was caught in the storm and was in distress. The Coast Guard sent out a crew in 60 mph winds to try and rescue, but conditions continued to deteriorate and it became to dangerous to proceed. The crew attempted to make it back home, but the storm's force was too great and it knocked out the helicopter's engine, and it crashed and capsized into the dark ocean.
The three on board survived the crash, and the co-pilot and crewmember rode the surf to shore. But the pilot, Capt. Frank Olson, was knocked unconscious in the escape and drowned. "Olie" was a dear friend of our family, and I still vividly remember being awakened at 4 a.m. -- winds still howling -- to go stay with a neighbor so my parents could get into the station.
Since that day, weather has been a part of my life, but it also hit home just how dangerous my Dad's job was, and how these men risk their lives on a daily basis to help those in distress.
So again on this November 13, I say thanks to the men and women of the Coast Guard, and especially to the crew of Helo 1353.
I remeber that one like it was yesterday, it did a lot of damage..
This storm was a whopper and woke my wife and myself up at about 12:00 am when a skylight over our bed vanished. (never did find the skylight) and buckets of water were dumped on our bed. We were up all night installing blankets and plywood over the large windows that were flexing inches in and out with the powerful gusts of wind (tempered glass).
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My wife worked the breakfast shift at the 'King of the Seas" restaurant in Newport so I threw my chainsaw in the 1952 GMC pickup and we cut our way out to the main road. The wind was still blowing hard at 6:00 am (70 knots) but we eventually made it to the restaurant that was open because they cooked with natural gas, and the place was packed...my wife made almost 200 dollars in tips that day.
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After I dropped her off I went down to the bay front to check on my commercial fishing boat and what a mess the docks were. Dock 3 was completely destroyed with large draggers etc. loose, and crashing into the arched concrete barrier that was built in the 1930s next to the sidewalk at port dock 5. Several boats were piled up on the grid and destroyed that also, as well as several boats. My boat was fine as I had installed several 'spring' lines the day before.
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Some of the things that I noticed that were stunning was a green quaker state oil sign wrapped around a telephone pole off the ground and still in place because the wind was so strong. Also piles of dead seagulls everywhere (if the wind could open their wings the gulls were doomed) plus trees down everywhere. The local Ford garage lost it's roof that ended up on top of their new cars.
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Major damage was done in the woods with whole units of trees knocked to the ground. Yep that storm was a whopper and right up there with the Columbus day storm in 1962 that I remember well as well.
 @yaquina yeah it made the recent most powerful storm look weak compared to that. and then we some where in that time frame we got socked with a really bad winter I am not sure of the date, but we wound up with 3 feet of snow. I think it was 85 or something, gese between Mount St Helens eruption and a some nasty storms the 80's were pretty interesting in events.
 @lee986321 Well the town is still here (Newport) and things got fixed, and we still remember the St. Helens eruption...asked my wife if she felt the earth move...we felt the eruption on the coast (super sonic boom) @ 3, and did get a small dusting of ash for days