Photo courtesy Washington State Archives

October 12 is the anniversary of what was called the worst weather disaster to hit Washington in the 20th century. The Columbus Day Storm in 1962 struck the Pacific Coast from San Francisco north to British Columbia. The storm killed 47 people between Vancouver, B.C., and San Francisco, including nine in Washington. Gusts of up to 150 mph were recorded early in the storm before power outages disabled the wind-measuring instruments. The storm blew down 17 billion board feet of timber, much of it in the Olympic Peninsula.

This image from the State Archives’ State Transportation Department photo collection shows the storm’s aftermath. This was one of many roads that had fallen trees.

Here is a HistoryLink story about the storm.