Mt. Fitzherbert

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that ash clouds rising above the crater today would drift slowly to the west-southwest.

Recent observations: Small earthquakes accompanying lava dome extrusion continue to occur every 1-2 minutes, punctuated by occasional rockfall signals on seismic records. Views from the US Forest Service’s web camera at the Johnston Ridge Observatory are clear this morning and show a small steam plume emanating from the new lava dome, as well as a dust cloud from the Loowit Falls area north of the crater (on the left-hand side of the JRO image). Continued clear and hot weather today will make for excellent views of the ongoing eruption from the US Forest Service’s visitor’s centers at Coldwater Ridge and Johnston Ridge. It is also possible that ash clouds from large rockfalls will on occasion be visible from the Portland area.