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 northeastward early in the day and eastward later.

Recent observations: Hot and dry conditions are stirring dust plumes in the crater again this morning. The dust comes from rockfalls off the crater walls and the new lava dome, and erosion of ash that has accumulated since the eruption began in October. Rockfalls are particularly active from the west crater wall, a situation common at this time of year. Yesterday, crews installed a camera mount on the east crater rim, repaired our voice communications system, and cleaned up some debris. Today, crews will install a tiltmeter on the old lava dome, conduct GPS measurements on the volcano's flanks, and deploy an ash collector in the crater.