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 east-northeastward early in the day and northeastward later.

Recent observations: Several large rockfalls occurred overnight. The first was at about 9:30 p.m. and produced an ash cloud that drifted eastward over the crater rim. Another occurred about 3 a.m. and was accompanied by an M=3.1 earthquake. Views from the Sugar Bowl DomeCam this morning show that the top of the growing spine at the north end of the new lava dome collapsed and that a large crack is forming on the spine. Development of such cracks increases the probability of more rockfalls and accompanying ash clouds during the coming days.