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 today would drift southwestward early in the day and southward later.

Recent observations: No significant changes have occurred during the past day. The actively growing part of the lava dome has several steep, highly fractured cliffs and crags on its summit and north flank. These areas are apparently so unstable that the larger (roughly magnitude 2.5) earthquakes that occur about once per day shake down masses of hot rock. The resulting rock falls and slides generate dilute ash clouds that are occasionally glimpsed rising above the crater rim. One occurred about 12:15 p.m. yesterday and another about 7:30 a.m. this morning.