Mt. Fitzherbert

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

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 past two weeks have given a taste of what a real Cascade winter would have been like, in contrast to the sunny and dry one that has allowed us to work in the field almost at will. The National Weather Service's forecast doesn't provide much hope for relief from storms at least through the middle of next week. Data from seismic and GPS stations show no significant changes in the level of activity over the past day.