Mt. Fitzherbert

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

Recent observations: Clear skies afford excellent views of the crater this morning. Mid yesterday afternoon, a steam plume (accompanying a rockfall and a magnitude 3.0 earthquake) rose about 1000 feet above the crater rim and dissipated within minutes. Multiple small rockfalls from the new dome are occurring daily, and clouds of ash, possibly with steam and gas, will continue to occasionally rise above the crater rim as the result of rockfall activity. Overall, extrusion of the growing lava dome continues to occur in the same quiescent mode exhibited over the past year, and levels of seismicity remain generally low. Field crews expect to be on the mountain later this week.

A pan from Mount St. Helens' crater rim looking north, made from 12 images "stitched" together, with accompanying annotation. USGS Photograph taken on July 27, 2006, by Willie Scott.