Pacific Northwest windstorm

Deep low pressure areas are relatively common over the North Pacific.

[2] Nor'easters, a similar class of extratropical cyclones, commonly affect the east coast of North America.

While the storms on the East Coast are named "nor'easters", the Pacific Northwest windstorms are not called "nor'westers" because the cyclones' primary winds can blow from any direction, while the primary winds in nor'easters usually blow from the northeast.

[3] The largest storm events have struck the Pacific Northwest every 15 to 30 years according to modern records.

Among the strongest were the 1962 Columbus Day storm, which formed from the remnants of Typhoon Frieda/Freda and killed 50 people; the 1993 Inauguration Day windstorm, which killed 6 people; and the 2006 Hanukkah Eve windstorm, which killed 14 people and caused widespread power outages for 11 days.

Hanukkah Eve windstorm of 2006 off the Washington Coast on December 15, 2006, at 2:00 UTC.
Storm tracks of the central low pressure of the storms which hit the Pacific Northwest in 1962, 1981 and 1995