Mt. Fitzherbert

Aerial views taken on 2005-Jan-24

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that ash clouds that rise above the crater rim today would drift west-northwestward to northward.

Recent observations: The volcano is obscured by clouds this morning. Although conditions for the gas-sensing flight on Monday were poor, analysis of data suggests that the emission of sulfur dioxide is about the same as in previous measurements (range of 50 to 250 tons per day). At yesterday's press briefing there was a lot of interest in gaining better perspective about the size of the uplifted welt and new lava dome. The total volume change represented by the welt and dome as of 3 January of this year is 34 million cubic meters (or 44 million cubic yards). For Portlanders, that is equivalent to 134 Rose Garden arenas. The area of the dome and uplift covers about 60 city blocks. In Portland an equivalent area would extend from the Morrison Bridge to the Hawthorne Bridge and from the Willamette River to the Park Blocks. The top of the new lava dome rises about 550 feet above the pre-eruption surface of the flanking glacier. But the lava dome probably extends to the base of the glacier, which means that its true height is closer to 1100 feet.