Oregon’s historic winter storms, 60 years later

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Oregon’s historic winter storms, 60 years later

A series of storms during the Christmas holiday 60 years ago this month and spilling into the New Year led to widespread flooding in parts of Oregon, Idaho, Washington Nevada and Northern California in 1964.

The historic event was driven by a succession of storms that produced as much as 15 inches of rain in 24 hours at some locations, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The combination of heavy rain, melting snow, and frozen ground caused extreme runoff, erosion and flooding throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Agencies consider a Dec. 10 storm to be the anniversary of the flood, but at least three other severe weather events added to the disaster over a two-month *******.

Communities along the Willamette River and its tributaries were particularly impacted. At least 17 people were killed and thousands were forced to flee the rising waters. Homes were flooded, roadways were washed away or covered by landslides and bridges were damaged.

Oregon Gov. Mark Hatfield declared a State of Emergency on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1964.

In Lane County, hundreds were forced to leave their homes as the rivers crested their banks. The US Coast Guard used helicopters to evacuate dozens of people stranded by the rising water.

Raging water under Deception Creek Bridge four miles west of Oakridge washed out a chunk of Highway 58 on Dec. 22, 1964. Register-Guard photographer Paul Petersen was stranded when a portion of the bridge fell into the river. He had parked his car on the west side of the bridge and walked across to capture a photograph before the collapse. He reportedly used a spinning rod to cast his roll of film to a fellow newspaper staff member on the other side.

Cindy Hookland, 8, and her sister, Karen Hookland, 15, of Junction City, were among the evacuees captured leaving a Coast Guard helicopter at the Eugene Airport by Register-Guard photographer Joe Matheson on Dec. 23, 1964.

On Jan. 10, 1965, The Register-Guard published a recap of the disaster written by Don Robinson.

“On the weekend before Christmas, Nature inconsiderately conjured the unkindest gift of all. The flood happened, quite simply, because the rain kept falling and the snow kept melting,” he wrote.

A caption under the lead image read, “Nature doesn’t trust the memory of man. Having demonstrated her superiority with the wind as recently as Columbus Day, 1962, she felt obliged to show it again the week of Christmas, 1964 — this time with water.”

Contact photographer Chris Pietsch at *****@*****.tld, or follow him on

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