Mt. Fitzherbert

Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that ash clouds that rise high above the crater rim today would drift prominently northeastward.

Seismicity remains at a low level compared to that observed early in this unrest. The current seismicity is consistent with a continuing, slow rise of magma driving uplift of the crater floor and feeding a surface extrusion of lava. Overnight, three earthquakes in the range M2.5-2.8 shook the crater floor. Although slightly larger than seen recently, they represent nothing unusual in the expected sequence of events for dome growth. The overall low rates of seismicity and gas emission suggest that the lava reaching the surface is gas poor, thereby reducing the probability of highly explosive eruptions in the near term.

No direct visual observations were possible yesterday, owing to a change in weather that brought rain and, at higher altitudes, snow to Mount St. Helens. The weather outlook is equally damp today. No field work close to the volcano has been undertaken since November 12. Instrumental monitoring is conducted “around the clock.”