Mt. Fitzherbert
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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 to the east.
Recent observations: Our string of winter storms with very low cloud ceiling continues unabated, so the volcano is completely obscured. Seismicity remains unchanged at recent low levels.
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 to the southeast.
Recent observations: Seismicity remains at a low level. The volcano continues to be obscured by clouds owing to a succession of winter storm fronts.
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 to the east.
Recent observations: The volcano is totally obscured by clouds today as another storm front moves through. During the last few days, there has been a modest increase in the frequency, but not the magnitude, of earthquakes, including some earthquakes of the repetitive "drumbeat" type that were so common in the first several months of the eruption.
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 east to southeast.
Recent observations: Views into the crater are obscured presently owing to a winter storm. Seismicity remains at low levels.
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 northeast.
Recent observations: At 10:49 PM on Saturday night, a small slip event coincided with a short episode of minor earthquakes. Such activity is typical during dome growth, and the mountain is quiet today. No views into the crater are possible while a winter storm sets in.
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 northeastward.
Recent observations: Clouds from an approaching weather system are obscuring views of the volcano today. Seismicity remains at low levels consistent with slow but steady delivery of lava to the dome.
Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any low-level ash clouds rising above the crater rim today would stagnate over the volcano. High-level ash clouds rising above the crater rim would drift westward in the morning and southwestward in the afternoon.
Recent observations: A magnitude 1.5 earthquake occurred at 11:10am on 11/24/08. This morning, steam plumes rising from the new dome barely rise above the crater rim.
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 northward.
Recent observations: Mount St. Helens is clear again today. Seismicity continues to occur at a low rate consistent with the ongoing slow eruption. USGS field crews were at the volcano yesterday doing maintenance on the monitoring instrumentation.
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 westward.
Recent observations: Mount St. Helens is clear today. Weather permitting, field crews will be visiting the volcano today to carry out maintenance on monitoring instruments. Seismicity remains at low levels.
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 west-southwest.
Recent observations: The Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam rewards us with beautiful views into the crater. Field crews prepare for a potential field day tomorrow of gas measurements and instrument maintenance. And volcanic activity evidenced by earthquakes and deformation continues.
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 southwest at high altitudes and west-southwest at low altitudes.
Recent observations: The volcano is in the clear today, with strong winds from the east blowing snow from the upper flanks. Minor steaming is evident from the new dome. Occasional microearthquakes have occurred during the past 24 hours, consistent with the ongoing low-levels of eruptive activity.
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 southward to southwestward.
Recent observations: Clouds obscure Mount St. Helens this morning. Small earthquakes consistent with low-level activity and continued slow growth of the dome are apparent on seismic records of the past 24 hours.
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 southeast at low and high altitudes.
Recent observations: The volcano is in cloud this morning. Seismic and deformation signals for the past 24 hours show continued micro-earthquakes and very small ground movements in the crater, consistent with the ongoing low levels of eruptive activity.
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 to the south.
Recent observations: Mount St. Helens is clear, sunny, and steaming from near its vent this morning. Small earthquakes consistent with continued growth of the dome are apparent on seismic records of the past 24 hours.
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 to the south at both low and high altitudes.
Recent observations: Crews were in the field at Mount St. Helens yesterday, servicing seismic stations and remote cameras. Considerable steaming from the new lava dome was evident, as conditions were ideal for cloud formation. Occasional micro-earthquakes continue at the volcano today, consistent with the low-levels of eruptive activity.
VANCOUVER, Wash. — Geologist John S. Pallister was flying over Mount St. Helens when he spotted something unusual.
Pallister, a private pilot who works in the hazards section of the U.S. Geological Survey's Cascades Volcano Observatory, noticed a line of steam coming from a zipper-like fracture line atop the growing lava dome in the crater of the southwest Washington volcano.
"It was interesting enough to take some pictures," Pallister told The Columbian newspaper of the Sunday flight.
After landing, he learned that a 2.9-magnitude earthquake had registered on seismographs at the observatory in Vancouver. That was followed by a small tremor that lasted nearly an hour and a half, an unusually long period, punctuated by a second quake of 2.7 magnitude - all in the same period in which he saw the steam.
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 to the south.
Recent observations: Mount St. Helens is clear and sunny today. A crew yesterday repaired a telemetry station. Teams are in the field today, servicing telemetry equipment and seismic stations, and replacing batteries. Small earthquakes consistent with continued growth of the dome are apparent on seismometers during the past 24 hours. A small steam plume rising from the active spine is visible this morning.
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 south-southeast.
Recent observations: The summit of Mount St. Helens is variably in and out of cloud today. Teams are in the field, servicing telemetry equipment on the volcano's flanks. Reviews of seismic and tilt data from this past weekend show two periods of seismic tremor and related small scale deformation. However aerial and remote camera observations show that no ash emissions or large steam plumes were produced.
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 northeastward.
Recent observations: Two more moderate sized earthquakes (magnitudes 2.9 and 2.7) occurred yesterday afternoon in conjunction with a brief swarm of much smaller earthquakes. This swarm of quakes was broadly associated with a period of minor ground inflation then deflation near the dome. Similar correlations between earthquakes and ground deformation have been common during this eruption. Yesterday’s brief swarm of quakes, combined with similar swarms that occurred on Saturday and in the prior week, show that the dome is still active and that the eruption continues. Field crews hope to take advantage of good weather this week to make observations and conduct instrument maintenance.
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 southeastward early, and more eastward later in the day.
Recent observations: Clear weather affords excellent views of the volcano this morning. After yesterday morning's minor spate of modest (magnitude 2-), shallow earthquakes, the mountain has been quiet and there has been no change in activity in past 24 hours.
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 eastward early in the day, shifting to a more southeastward trajectory later in the day.
Recent observations: Poor weather precludes views of the mountain this morning. At abut 0711 and 0723 local time a pair of moderate sized, but raggedy, earthquakes occurred. Emergent, rather than sharp, onsets suggest that they could involve rockfalls, but the exact nature of these events is under review. Such events indicate that the dome is still active and growing and that the volcano remains in a state of eruption, but do indicate any significant change in eruptive activity.
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 eastward in the morning, changing to east-southeast by afternoon.
Recent observations: For the past 24 hours, the winter 2008 eruption mantra seems unchanged from previous updates: snowy weather allows few or no visual observations of the new dome, but sparse seismicity recorded by an in-crater seismometer, coincident with small tilt events every few hours on the NDM tiltmeter, are evidence that the active lava spine budges upward in miniscule nonhazardous pulses.
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 eastward.
Recent observations: Small, spotty earthquakes jostled some near-crater seismometers for about an hour this morning, coincident with a small tilt episode (deflation-inflation) recorded by our NDM tiltmeter. These events, related to dome growth, are "instrumental" in the sense that they are too small to be recognized, even if an frigid observer had been onsite in the crater's blowing snow. Yesterday's M 6.3 earthquake 250 km off the central Oregon coast showed nicely on the Mount St. Helens seismic network but was too distant to be felt and has had no known effect on the eruption.
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 southeastward early in the day and east-southeastward to eastward later.
Recent observations: Wind and heavy snowfall are affecting signals from a few seismic stations. This morning's M6.2 earthquake in the Queen Charlotte Islands in northern British Columbia shows up prominently on crater station VALT. Eruptive conditions remain unchanged.
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 northeastward.
Recent observations: Monitoring networks are operating well despite the ongoing winter storm. Data show no change in eruptive conditions.
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 east-southeastward.
Recent observations: The weather continues to obscure the volcano this morning. Seismic instruments suggest no change in eruptive activity.
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 northeastward.
Recent observations: Snow from another winter storm is falling in the Cascades and Mount St. Helens is obscured by clouds. Data from monitoring networks show no change in eruptive conditions.
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 northeastward.
Recent observations: With the inclement weather continuing, the volcano is still not visible through the clouds from Johnston Ridge. Seismic instruments are operating normally, and we are confident that the eruption progresses.
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 northeastward.
Recent observations: Again, bad weather prevents a view of the mountain. Seismic instruments today are recording mostly storm noise. An overflight on December 31 found a new small area of gouge-mantled spine on top of the currently active lobe. This little "spinelet" was hot enough to be snow-free, confirming that the dome growth is continuing.
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 northeastward.
Recent observations: The volcano is obscured by clouds this morning. Data from monitoring networks show no change in eruptive conditions. Seismicity, ground deformation, and gas emission rates remain low.
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 northeastward.
Recent observations: Wet weather has returned to the Portland-Vancouver area and Mount St. Helens is obscured by clouds. Data from monitoring networks show no change in eruptive conditions, that is, slow dome growth accompanied by low rates of seismicity, ground deformation, and gas emission.
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 northward or northeastward.
Recent observations: The dome building eruption at Mount St. Helens that began in October 2004 enters its fifth calendar year this morning. The wintry view from Johnston Ridge Observatory shows most of the growing dome’s flanks covered with snow. Data from monitoring networks show no change in eruptive conditions. At first opportunity, field crews will attempt to repair equipment damaged by recent storms.
