Mt. Fitzherbert

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift north to northeast.

Recent observations: Views of Mount St. Helens are excellent this morning under clear blue skies. A diffuse plume is drifting northeast above the crater rim this morning. Seismicity and dome growth continue at rates typical of recent weeks. Continued hot weather will most likely increase the rate of snowmelt at higher elevations.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:53 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift SSE early in the day, shifting toward the west later.

Recent observations: It's a clear, breezy morning at the volcano. Warm winds are blowing dust from the crater walls and floor across the mouth of the crater, partially obscuring the view. Seismicity and dome growth continue at rates typical of recent weeks. Hot weather forecast for the next few days will likely increase the rate of snowmelt at higher elevations, but we do not anticipate any increased water outflow from the crater as a result.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:51 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift southeast. Potential ash hazards to aviation: Under current eruptive conditions, small, short-lived explosions may produce ash clouds that exceed 30,000 feet in altitude. Ash from such events can travel 100 miles or more downwind.

Recent observations: The mountain is obscured by clouds early this morning. Clearing is expected. Monitoring instruments show no change in earthquake activity or deformation from levels established over the past few months.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 14:56 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift in the sector between southeast and northeast.

Recent observations: The volcano is obscured by clouds this morning. Seismicity and dome growth continue at levels typical of recent weeks.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 13:20 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift predominantly to the east.

Recent observations: It is partly cloudy at the volcano this morning. The eruption continues as slow extrusion accompanied by small earthquakes, rockfalls, and occasional larger earthquakes. Rates of seismicity and deformation remain unchanged from recent levels.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 11:10 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift mainly southeast or east. Winds at low elevations are forecast to be light and variable, so small dust plumes could drift into other sectors as well.

Recent observations: The volcano is clear of clouds this morning and field crews are on their way there to continue where they left off on Tuesday. They plan to visit several monitoring stations and make routine observations in the crater. Seismicity and the rate of dome growth remain unchanged from recent levels.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 13:22 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift southeast.

Recent observations: It is clear and sunny today at Mount St. Helens. The eruption continues as slow extrusion accompanied by small earthquakes, rockfalls, and occasional larger earthquakes. There have been no changes in activity over the past 24 hours.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 08:44 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift south or southeast.

Recent observations: Clear weather this morning allows unobstructed views of the volcano from Johnston Ridge Observatory and elsewhere. Seismicity and growth of the lava dome are continuing at rates that are typical of recent months. Yesterday, field crews attended to monitoring instruments and made routine observations. Additional field work is planned later this week.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 19:05 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift predominantly southeast.

Recent observations: Low clouds at the volcano have delayed planned fieldwork. The eruption continues as slow extrusion accompanied by small earthquakes and rockfalls, occasionally punctuated by larger earthquakes. There have been no significant changes in activity over the past 24 hours.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:08 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift first to the east southeast, then later in the day to the southeast.

Recent observations: The mountain remains covered by clouds this morning. Small infrequent earthquakes and occasional rockfalls accompany continued slow growth of the lava dome. Field work is planned for tomorrow if the clouds clear.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 16:00 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift northeastward.

Recent observations: Mount St. Helens is socked in clouds this morning. Infrequent micro earthquakes and occasional rockfalls accompany continued slow growth of the lava dome.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 09:31 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift northeastward.

Recent observations: Views of Mount St. Helens from Johnston Ridge Observatory are partly obscured by clouds this morning. There have been no detectable changes in seismicity or deformation. A seismic station placed on the growing dome survived nearly an hour of shaking this morning, possibly from a series of nearby rockfalls.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 14:21 | Permalink

• Mount St. Helens' anniversary 2007-May-18 from The Seattle Times

  Where were you when the mountain blew? Share your memories of Mount St. Helens' eruption May 18, 1980, and its aftermath.

• Can you top this? 2007-May-18 from The Vancouver (Wash.) Columbian

  Twenty-seven years after a massive eruption obliterated its summit, Southwest Washington's celebrity volcano is refashioning itself with a new look.

  Visitors returning this week to the Johnston Ridge Observatory will notice a change since Mount St. Helens' main visitor center closed for the season just six months ago: two debris-blackened arms of a glacier set against the snow-covered crater floor.

  Mount St. Helens' wraparound glacier has been uplifted, deformed and shoved out of the way by the eruption that began in the fall of 2004. Yet despite the massive intrusion of hot rock, scientists figure the glacier has lost only about a quarter of its pre-2004 volume.

• Anniversary Of Mount St. Helens Eruption Marked 2007-May-18 11:41 from KIRO (ch.7) Seattle

  "Vancouver, Vancouver, This is it!"

  It was 27 years ago Friday that U.S. Geological Survey volcanologist David Johnston radioed those words to colleagues in Vancouver as Mount St. Helens erupted.

  The anniversary is being marked at the Johnston Ridge Observatory near the volcano.

  Johnston died shortly after his call. Fifty-seven people were killed from the eruption.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 14:01 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift northeastward.

Recent observations: The 27th anniversary of the 1980 eruption finds clear views into the crater from Johnston Ridge Observatory. The mountain continues to rebuild itself with steady growth of the lava dome accompanied by occasional micro earthquakes and rockfalls.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:14 | Permalink

Timelapse movies

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 21:01 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift northeastward.

Recent observations: The view into the crater from Johnston Ridge Observatory is clear this morning. Sporadic micro earthquakes, frequent rockfalls, and slow, steady growth of the lava dome continue.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 11:14 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift northeastward.

Recent observations: Low clouds partly obscure views of the crater from Johnston Ridge Observatory this morning. A shallow magnitude 2.7 earthquake occurred yesterday at 4:14 PM PDT. Sporadic micro earthquakes, frequent rockfalls, and slow, steady growth of the lava dome continue.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:18 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift northeastward.

Recent observations: Clear weather today should provide wonderful views of Mount St. Helens. Continued slow and steady growth of the dome is indicated by the movement of GPS spiders installed last week. This growth is accompanied by intermittent rockfalls, which may generate ash clouds that could rise above the crater rim. There have been no changes in the background level of crater earthquakes.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 12:15 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any low-level ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would not drift beyond the flanks of the volcano, and any high level clouds would drift east-southeast to east.

Recent observations: There are no changes in volcanic activity in the past 24 hours.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 09:38 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift northeastward.

Recent observations: Low clouds obscure the mountain this morning, but with improving weather it should become visible by this afternoon. Seismicity remains low. Posted by Raoul Ortega at 11:02 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift north-northeast.

Recent observations: A lava dome continues to grow within the crater accompanied by small earthquakes and rockfall activity. An earthquake of magnitude 3.0 and ensuing rockfall on Friday late morning sent dust up to the rim briefly. Two other smaller earthquakes (M1.1 and M2.2) have occurred in the past 24 hours.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 14:31 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift northeastward.

Recent observations: It's a beautiful, mostly sunny morning at Mount St. Helens, with views available from Johnston Ridge at the current time. Seismicity has continued to be low. New data are being transmitted from the GPS instruments installed on the west arm of Crater Glacier and the lava dome Tuesday.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:09 | Permalink

Aerial views taken on 2007-May-08

Recent observations: Scientists continue to monitor the slow rates of deformation and seismicity that accompany lava extrusion within the crater. A magnitude 2.2 earthquake occurred at 9:21 this morning.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 12:05 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift northeastward.

Recent observations: Field crews had a successful day in the crater yesterday, deploying three new instruments on the growing lava dome, one new instrument on the west arm of the crater glacier, repairing a field camera and doing maintenance work or field measurements at several other locations. Wispy vapor trails rose from the lava dome during the day but no significant plumes rose from the crater in the sunny but windy weather. Gas flights were postponed for a less windy day.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:59 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift north to northeast.

Recent observations: Scientists are taking advantage of clear skies today to make observations and to perform routine maintenance on various stations. Within the crater, lava extrusion continues accompanied by occasional rockfalls.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:09 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift southeast or east.

Recent observations: The day has dawned clear at the volcano, which is visible in images from Johnston Ridge Observatory. There have been no changes in background levels of seismicity or motion of the active part of the lava dome. Weather permitting, crews will visit the volcano later this week to make routine observations and to repair or replace monitoring instruments.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:50 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift southeast.

Recent observations: Clouds are obscuring views of the crater from Johnston Ridge this morning. Seismicity continues at a low background level typical of recent weeks. Slow growth of the lava dome continues.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 11:38 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift SSE.

Recent observations: Clouds parted this morning to reveal fresh snow on the mountain under a beautiful blue sky. Seismicity remains at a low background level suggesting that lava extrusion is continuing.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 13:17 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift SE.

Recent observations: Clouds block views of the mountain this morning. Seismicity remains at a low background level, suggesting that lava extrusion is continuing.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 12:23 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift to the northeast or east.

Recent observations: The volcano is mostly obscured by clouds this morning. Seismicity remains at a low background level, suggesting that lava extrusion is continuing. Yesterday afternoon at Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center, clearings between intermittent snow showers provided picturesque views of the snow clad volcano, lava domes, and glacier.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 12:38 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift NNE.

Recent observations: This morning, visibility is limited by a late season snow storm with expected snow levels dropping to 2500 to 3000 feet tonight. There have been no changes in background levels of seismicity or motion of the growing dome. Given the weather forecast, no field work is planned for the remainder of this week

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 14:03 | Permalink

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would drift northeast.

Recent observations This morning, cameras at Johnston Ridge Observatory are providing glimpses of the crater through intervening clouds. There have been no changes in background levels of seismicity or motion of the growing dome. Data from a GPS spider atop the dome, which fell over in early April and was righted on April 20, show that the rate of movement there has been constant since the spider was deployed in early February. Given a relatively wet weather forecast, no field work is planned for the remainder of this week.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 13:07 | Permalink