Medford, Ore. — It’s been 54 years since the famous “Columbus Day Storm” and the National Weather Service said if this weekend’s storm goes as predicted, it will be one for the history books.
Don’t be fooled by a sunny day in the Rogue Valley.
“People will say – oh the weather is beautiful. It’s October. What could happen,” Ryan Sandler said, NWS Meteorologist.
It’s the calm before the storm – a storm the National Weather Service called unusual, but possible.
“54 years ago, we had the Columbus Day wind storm, which was the 100-year wind storm. The strongest wind storm that ever hit the northwest happened in October,” Sandler said.
He said this isn’t just another storm.
“We have a one-two punch coming in,” Sandler said.
It’s a storm that could get tricky.
“Saturday is the big unknown. We have the remnants of a typhoon, Songda, that’s mixing with the jet stream and coming in quickly,” Sandler said.
Which could mean a lot of rain, a lot of wind, and the kind of weather you don’t see often.
“This is something we don’t see many times in a lifetime,” Sandler said.
National Weather Service said the best way to protect yourself from extreme weather is to stay informed.
you can find all the up-to-date information on weather.gov. We’ll have also storm updates on our website.
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