[Turtle]

Originally Posted by freeztar

What about pyroclastic flow Turtle?
They mention flow in the last sentence of the quote you posted, but they don't say where it was channeled to.

I see I forgot the link, and now I can't find the exact page. Nevertheless, the flow went into surrounding valleys, principally Spirit Lake and the N. Toutle River drainage. Here's a shot I took back in October looking down on the pyroclastic deposits just North & below the volcano. These deposits are hundreds of feet deep.

(click to enlarge)

[DougF]

Turtle I'm glad that your not any closer then that.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by DougF

Turtle I'm glad that your not any closer then that.

Just close enough. Checking the volcano cam today, I found a clue to just how much snow has fallen up there.
Mount St. Helens VolcanoCams - Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Note the snow drift in the foreground that is partially blocking the view? Well those cameras are ~ 20 feet off the ground!

Expect some nice steam blasts when all this starts to melt.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Turtle

... Checking the volcano cam today, I found a clue to just how much snow has fallen up there.
Mount St. Helens VolcanoCams - Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Note the snow drift in the foreground that is partially blocking the view? Well those cameras are ~ 20 feet off the ground!

Expect some nice steam blasts when all this starts to melt.

Checking the Volcano-Cam today during a break in the weather I found the snow so high that it virtually blocks any view of the volcano and the roads remain impassable by wheeled vehicles. See capture image below.

In general, the eruption continues steadily, although the last few months have seen fewer quakes and a reduction in the volume of lava erupting. Stay tuned for Spring explosions.

Originally Posted by USGS

MOUNT ST. HELENS UPDATE

Current Volcanic- Alert Level WATCH; Aviation Color Code ORANGE: Growth of the new lava dome inside the crater of Mount St. Helens continues, accompanied by low rates of seismicity, low emissions of steam and volcanic gases, and minor production of ash. During such eruptions, changes in the level of activity can occur over days to months. The eruption could intensify suddenly or with little warning and produce explosions that cause hazardous conditions within several miles of the crater and farther downwind. Small lahars could suddenly descend the Toutle River if triggered by heavy rain or by interaction of hot rocks with snow and ice. These lahars pose a negligible hazard below the Sediment Retention Structure (SRS) but could pose a hazard along the river channel upstream. ...

CVO Menu - Cascade Range Volcanoes and Volcanics - Current Update

[REASON]

Good Grief! Is this much snow normal for you guys?

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by REASON

Good Grief! Is this much snow normal for you guys?

No...well, it is more accurate to say it is rare or 'unusual' than not normal; it is not unprecedented. If it melts slowly, it's good because we have plenty of water for irrigation, power production, and drinking, but if it melts too fast we're in for some major flooding.

Arguably this is a Weather-watching comment, but we have a major snow storm moving in by tomorrow morning, and the volcano cameras may be completely covered after that.
Snow possible in Portland as low as 200 feet on Friday | Local News | kgw.com | News for Oregon and SW Washington

[Turtle]

About 2 weeks have passed, and the snow is now completely blocking the camera's view. We did have a brief peiod when it opened, either from melting or winds removing some snow. Here's today's high-def view of the inside of a 20+ foot snow bank. Seismic activity is currently low.

[REASON]

Originally Posted by Turtle

About 2 weeks have passed, and the snow is now completely blocking the camera's view. We did have a brief peiod when it opened, either from melting or winds removing some snow. Here's today's high-def view of the inside of a 20+ foot snow bank. Seismic activity is currently low.

I actually like the photo.

It reminds me of the Moon lit clouds from 35,000 feet,
as seen on a late evening flight from a coach window seat.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by REASON

I actually like the photo.

It reminds me of the Moon lit clouds from 35,000 feet,
as seen on a late evening flight from a coach window seat.

You're right! It does look like clouds. The news today at Mt. St. Helens is that some bright guy managed to fall into the crater!

Snowmobile suit protected man who tumbled into St. Helens crater | Local News | kgw.com | News for Oregon and SW Washington

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Turtle

About 2 weeks have passed, and the snow is now completely blocking the camera's view. We did have a brief peiod when it opened, either from melting or winds removing some snow. Here's today's high-def view of the inside of a 20+ foot snow bank. Seismic activity is currently low.

So, now another 3 weeks since the above post, and for the first time the snow has cleared enough in front of the volcano cam to see St. Helens. Look quick! This image is updated every minute.
Mount St. Helens VolcanoCams - Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Regional quake activity is up, although the volcano is rather quiet. Could be the weight of the snow is cappin' the bottle so to speak?

We have an ongoing quake swarm just off the Oregon coast, which is connected to St. Helens and the other Cascade volcanos because they arise above the subducted margin of the Cascadia fault system. The quake swarm is unusal because it is occuring within the body of the Juan deFuca plate, and not at the Western plate boundary as previous quakes recorded have. Some have speculated new underwater volcanism is taking place, and an investigation of the site is underway.

Latest Earthquakes in the USA - Last 7 days
Thats a wrap.