Mt. Fitzherbert

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 would drift to the northeast.

Recent observations: Small earthquakes continued every 2-3 minutes as dacite lava extrudes slowly within the crater of Mount St. Helens. At approximately 10:35 am (PST) January 1, a slightly larger earthquake marked a period of about 30 minutes before the return of persistent small earthquakes occurring every few minutes. Winter storms and snow level down to about 4000 ft altitude have not allowed visual observations.