The most deadly tornado to ever strike within the borders of the state of Oklahoma
occurred on Wednesday afternoon, April 9, 1947 in the city of Woodward. The Woodward tornado storm began in the Texas Panhandle and produced at least
six tornadoes along a 220 mile path that stretched from White Deer, TX (northeast
of Amarillo) to St. Leo, KS (west of Wichita).
Willard Scott in his Ronald McDonald costume.
Willard Herman Scott, Jr. was born in Alexandria, Virginia.
Scott is best known for being a television weatherman on the NBC
show Today. He was also the creator and original portrayer of
Ronald McDonald, the primary mascot of the McDonald’s fast-
food restaurant chain.
The first documented reference to Groundhog Day in America can be found in a
diary entry, dated February 4, 1841, of Morgantown, Pennsylvania, storekeeper
James Morris.
According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow
on this day, then spring will come early; if it is sunny, the groundhog will then
see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and winter weather will continue
for six more weeks.
A Groundhog Club handler holds Punxsutawney Phil (right) as the
weather prognostication is read by another member.
A Port Orford Cedar that was planted just before the turn of the century in
front of Portland City Hall.
The Columbus Day Storm of 1962 was a Pacific Northwest windstorm, that struck
the West Coast of Canada and the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States on October 12, 1962. It originated from Typhoon Freda and is considered to be the benchmark of extra tropical wind storms. The storm ranks among the most intense
to strike the region since at least 1948, likely since the January 9, 1880 "Great Gale"
and snowstorm. The storm is a contender for the title of most powerful extra tropical cyclone recorded in the U.S. in the 20th century. Wind gusts reached 116 miles per
hour in Portland, 127 miles per hour in Corvallis, and in excess of 145 miles per
hour on the Oregon coast. Nearly 50 fatalities were attributed to the windstorm.
Damage at Bernard’s Airport in Beaverton Oregon
