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 broadly southward.

Recent observations: The active spine of the lava dome continues to extrude slowly, as judged from instrumental data. A GPS receiver on the western part of the active spine shows continued southwestward advance at rate of 3-4 mm per day, as it has been doing since September. Somewhat greater eastward motion characterizes a small rise at the spine's summit. A GPS receiver east of the active spine is being budged slightly north and east, owing to it being gently shouldered aside by dome growth. The tiltmeter at NDM, adjacent to the north, shows small inflation-deflation events every few hours, some of them associated with small earthquakes. These tilt events likely signal dome growth pulses. Our last good image from the Sugarbowl cam was November 28; it showed no notable landscape changes. Views from the publically accessible JRO cam rarely capture more than the mouth of the crater, if that, owing to poor weather.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 12:16 | 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: Views of the mountain are shouded by snow clouds today. Infrequent rock falls and small earthquakes associated with continued dome growth in the crater are measured by our on-site seismometers and tell us that the volcano is still active.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:19 | Permalink

• Could Mount St. Helens turn into national park? 2007-Nov-27 12:50 from The Seattle Times

  The idea of turning Mount St. Helens into Washington's fourth national park isn't dead yet.

  U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, who remains noncommittal about the idea, recently agreed with Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell to form an advisory committee to look into it. Because the 110,000-acre Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is within Baird's congressional district, his acquiescence is a political necessity if it were to be turned into a national park.

  "It's worth exploring what the pros and cons would be," Baird, a Democrat, said Monday.

  On a preliminary ledger sheet, opponents worry the biggest "con" would be a curtailment of access to hunters, fishermen and snowmobilers with the loss of U.S. Forest Service oversight. The biggest "pro" would be money.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 12:56 | 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 eastward this morning and southeast later today.

Recent observations: Mount St. Helens is visible under a gray sky in the JRO camera view late this morning. There are no significant changes in the ongoing eruptive condition in the last 24 hours with presumed dome growth marked by occasional very small earthquakes and rock falls in the seismic record.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 11:50 | Permalink

Aerial views taken on 2007-Nov-21

Recent observations: The volcano is in the clouds this morning. Seismometers located in and around the edifice provide a faint indication of continued dome growth, as punctuated by occasional rock falls.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:42 | 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 east to northeast at low altitudes and east to southeast at high altitudes.

Recent observations: The volcano is visible under a high overcast this morning. Monitoring parameters show no significant changes over those of the past month, and indicate that slow growth of the lava dome continues.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 11:52 | 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 - SSW.

Recent observations: MSH is clear and cold today. Seismicity is within normal levels typical of the last weeks and months.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 11:42 | 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 east.

Recent observations: MSH is clear and cold this morning. Seismic monitoring parameters are within normal limits typical of the past weeks and months.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 17:47 | 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 early in the day, and south at high altitudes and southeast at low altitudes late in the day.

Recent observations: Monitoring parameters show little change compared to trends from the past several months, indicating little change in the ongoing eruption. Blue skys and crisp winter weather provide clear views of the volcano this morning.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:22 | 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 SSE-SSW.

Recent observations: St. Helens is clear and cold today, mantled with snow. We are thankful for it's presence on our skyline, and the tranquility of the ongoing dome-building eruption. Seismicity is within normal limits typical of the past months.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 07:46 | 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 south at low altitudes and southeast at high altitudes. Late in the day, winds would carry clouds to the west at low altitudes and to the south-southeast at high altitudes.

Recent observations: Monitoring data show no change in eruptive conditions. Another beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest brings clear skys to Mount St. Helens today. A field crew is at the volcano, working to install a new tiltmeter in the crater and making observations.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 09:32 | 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 south at low altitudes and southeast at higher altitudes.

Recent observations: The volcano is in the clear this morning and showing a small steam plume from the growing lava dome. Low level seismicity and occasional tilt events continue with no significant changes and indicate that the eruption is continuing at a low levels. Plans have been made to install a new tiltmeter in the crater tomorrow, weather permitting.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:39 | 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 east-northeastward to eastward.

Recent observations: Monitoring data show no change in eruptive conditions. Clearing during mid-week should allow us to get to field to service instruments and make visual observations.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:20 | 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 eastward to northeastward.

Recent observations: Clouds obscure the volcano today. Seismic records show low-level seismicity typical of the ongoing lava-dome extrusion during the past several months. Seismic stations are noisy and, in some cases, may cut out owing to wind and rain.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 14:17 | 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 northeastward to east-northeastward.

Recent observations: Winter storms continue and forecasts show little change during the next several days. Analysis of photographs telemetered from field cameras during the past few weeks show that growth continues of a central portion of the lava dome. The photographs reveal the slow rise of a broad heap of rock rubble.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 09:55 | 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 east-northeast.

Recent observations: Clouds obscure the volcano today. Seismic records show the low-level seismicity of ongoing lava-dome extrusion typical of the past many months.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 11:59 | 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 northeastward.

Recent observations: Stormy conditions continue to dominate the seismic records of some stations and have caused several intermittent outages of radio telemetry from a few stations. Eruptive conditions remain unchanged as slow dome extrusion continues.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 12:51 | 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 northwestward to northeastward.

Recent observations: The volcano is visible this morning under high clouds. Seismic records show the low-level seismicity of ongoing lava-dome extrusion typical of the past many months. A magnitude 1 earthquake occurred yesterday afternoon at 14:35 PST. A signal on local recorders this morning at about 07:53 PST is arrival of an M7.7 tectonic earthquake with an epicenter in northern Chile.

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 eastward to east-southeastward.

Recent observations: Yesterday's storm noise on the seismic records has been replaced with the low-level seismicity of ongoing lava-dome extrusion typical of the past many months.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:46 | 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 northeastwardly early in the day to more eastwardly later in the day.

Recent observations: A storm hit the area early this morning and the volcano is shrouded in clouds. Deformation and seismic signals indicate that the lava-dome growth continues. PNSN webicorder records are very noisy due to winds accompanying the storm and the crater AFM is recording increased crater stream flow. During periods of intense rain, small debris flows may form and move beyond the crater mouth onto the Pumice Plain.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 12:36 | 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 and east.

Recent observations: Stormy weather continues, although currently the USFS camera shows a break in the weather at the volcano. Snow blankets the mountain and the cameras view of the pumice plain. Early this morning, we lost three seismic stations for a period of several hours, but they are now on line. During that time, all other seismic stations were in operation. Deformation and seismic signals indicate that extrusion of the lava dome continues.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 14:52 | 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 crater of Mount St. Helens is obscured by clouds this morning. It rained at crater elevations overnight last night. Seismicity remains at low levels. The slow, quiet extrusion of lava continues.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 14:29 | 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.

Recent observations: Deformation and seismicity remain low, but are indicative of continuous lava dome extrusion as we have seen for the past many months. Clouds in the area obscure views of the volcano today.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 11:37 | 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 eastward in the morning, shifting to northeastward in the evening.

Recent observations: Other than a M2.4 earthquake yesterday evening at 1809 PST, seismicity at the volcano is at low levels. The slow extrusion of lava continues. Clouds associated with an approaching Pacific weather system are beginning to obscure the crater area and views are likely to be limited over the next few days.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 12:36 | 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 eastward.

Recent observations: Over the past 24 hours the volcano has exhibited low seismicity. Mount St. Helens has been mostly obscured by clouds since dawn today. Slow dome growth continues.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:56 | 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 eastward in the morning and east southeastward this evening.

Recent observations: A clear day in the Washingtion Cascades. Seismic activity at Mount St. Helens remains at low levels and the slow extrusion of the lava dome continues.

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 east-southeast.

Recent observations: Another clear day is dawning over the mountain, with a few wispy steam plumes visible over the lava dome at this hour from Johnston Ridge. Seismicity continues to be low and no other anomalous activity has been reported.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 11:25 | Permalink

Aerial views taken on 2007-Oct-29

Recent observations: The sunny weather afforded beautiful views of the volcano today. Seismicity continues to be low.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 18:29 | 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 east to southeast.

Recent observations: Seismicity remains at the relatively low level characteristic of the eruption during recent months. The volcano is visible as our fine fall weather continues. A small steam plume may be seen rising from the dome.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 11:57 | 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 southeastward.

Recent observations: The mountain is visible from Johnston Ridge this morning and weather is predicted to be partly sunny. Seismicity remains low.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 11:33 | 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 east-southeast.

Recent observations: The volcano is visible today as our fine autumn weather continues. Seismicity remains at a low level.

Posted by Raoul Ortega at 10:43 | Permalink