Dave Knows Portland

February 3, 1892: “Sharp Earthquake” Strikes Portland

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Earthquake headline in The Oregonian on Feb 4, 1892At 8:30 in the evening on Wednesday, February 3, 1892 Portland and environs were hit by what the Morning Oregonian described as a “sharp earthquake.”

Here’s my favorite part of the paper’s report the next day:

The [Postal Telegraph Company] operator at St. Helens, on the Columbia River, in Columbia county, answered that he felt a very heavy shock at 8:37 and immediately after a long report came from the direction of Mount St. Helens, an extinct volcano. The operator looked in the direction of the mountain, but it was obscured by clouds, and he noticed nothing unusual.

[Tee hee – they thought it was extinct!]

According to the U.S. Geological Survey organization, the buildings swayed, and terrified people rushed into the street. Astoria and Salem also felt the quake, and in Umatilla several building were damaged.

February 2, 1950: Temperature in Portland Drops to Minus Three

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Table excerpted from February 3, 1950 Oregonian articleThe weather in the first two months of 1950 was awful statewide. January was an extremely cold month and featured frequent snowstorms and some of the heaviest one-day snow falls ever recorded.

And then February arrived.

At 7:45am on Thursday, February 2, 1950 the temperature dropped to -3 degrees Fahrenheit at the Portland Airport, the all time record low for Portland.

Think that’s cold? The Eastern Oregon town of Seneca got down to -40 on that day, Chemult -30, and Pendleton recorded -25.

The previous Portland record of -2 had endured since 1888 (the temperature reading then had been taken on the top of the Kamm building at SW 1st and Pine).

January 26, 1700: The Great Cascadia Earthquake

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Cascadia Subduction ZoneThe largest earthquake ever known to occur in the continental United States struck at approximately 9 p.m. on January 26, 1700.

Around magnitude 9, the megathrust Cascadia earthquake rocked the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which encompasses a 600 mile long swath of coast from Vancouver, BC to Northern California.

During the five minute long earthquake the shores lurched 50 to 60 feet westward, reshaping the coast and possibly triggering the Bonneville Slide.

One thing we know with more certainty is that the earthquake triggered a huge tsunami, which in addition to slamming the coast, also traveled across the ocean and devastated the Pacific coast of Japan. Evidence of the January 26, 1700 date includes the oral tradition of the Native Americans who lived in the earthquake area, studies of tree rings, and most importantly for pinpointing the date, written records from Japan of the tsunami’s impact.

January 15, 1888: Portland’s Deep Freeze

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The Oregonian report from 16-January-1888Portland, Oregon recorded a record low temperature of -2 °F (-18 °C) on January 15, 1888. The Oregonian reported on the mark the next day under the headline COLD WEATHER:

It is seldom that the temperature in Western Oregon and Western Washington falls to the point indicated as zero on the Fahrenheit scale.

Much of the rest of the country at the time, however, was much much colder.

This is severe weather – unless it be compared with that beyond the Rocky mountains – when it becomes really quite endurable. We hear, and probably shall hear, of no one perishing with cold – a happy contrast to the terrible record that is coming from Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Dakota and Montana.

Portland’s low temperature record would not be surpassed until February, 1950, when the thermometer dropped to -3 °F. The -2 °F low was also matched in January, 1986.

Free Admission to the Oregon Zoo on MLK Holiday (17-January-2011)

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Oregon ZooThe Oregon Zoo, celebrating the spirit of public service associated with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, is offering free admission on Monday, January 17 2011.

“It is the 25th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and a perfect opportunity for the zoo to provide this service to our community,” said Kim Smith, zoo director.

It’s not a requirement for admission, but they are also encouraging visitors to bring donations of food or gently-used clothing to benefit SnowCap and Transition Projects.

Winter hours are 10am until 4pm every day (ground stay open until 5pm).