Expand / Collapse search
☰

Mount St. Helens stokes fears of eruption as strong winds stir ash left from historic 1980 blast

By Scott Sistek
Published  September 16, 2025 3:23pm PDT
Weather
FOX Weather

The Brief

    • Strong winds in Washington stirred up decades-old ash from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, creating plumes that made it look like the volcano was erupting.
    • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed there was no new volcanic activity and that the volcano remains at normal, background levels.
    • This phenomenon, which can be hazardous to health and aircraft, occasionally occurs during high winds and dry, snow-free conditions.

Is Mount St. Helens erupting?

No, Mount St. Helens is not erupting, but to many in Washington and northern Oregon, it sure looked like the volcano had suddenly reawakened Tuesday afternoon as strong winds stirred up leftover ash from the historic eruption 45 years ago.

Images from web cameras monitoring the volcano showed plumes of ash drifting around the crater and surrounding area of the volcano nestled in the southern Washington Cascades. 

"There is no change in Volcano Alert Level or Aviation Color Code at this time," the U.S. Geological Survey reassured nearby residents. "Mount St. Helens remains at normal, background levels of activity."

ash blown around top of mt st helens photo

Ash blown around the top of Mount St. Helens on Sept. 16, 2025. (USGS / FOX Weather)

A strong thermal trough is parked over western Washington, drawing in strong easterly winds across the Cascades Tuesday and stirring up the decades-old volcanic remnants. Winds at the time were estimated to be between 30-50 mph. 

Recent dry weather also played a factor. The area around Mount St. Helens has received less than 25% of their average rain over the past 30 days.

"This phenomenon is not the result of recent volcanic activity and occasionally occurs during times of high winds and dry snow-free conditions in the Mount St. Helens area," the USGS continued. However, they warned "resuspended volcanic ash should be considered hazardous and could be damaging to aircraft and health."

Easterly winds are forecast to abate later Tuesday, and the ash should resettle.

It's a far cry from the destructive chaos that enveloped the mountain on May 18, 1980, when weeks of volcanic rumblings culminated in a violent eruption that left 57 people dead and destroyed the surrounding area.

MORE NEWS FROM FOX SEATTLE

Pierce County Sheriff talks about controversial social media posts

Waymo robotaxis spotted in Seattle, Bellevue ahead of service launch

Seattle residents call for pause on Capitol Hill crisis care center

DOJ requests Washington's voter registration database

FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket lottery underway: What you need to know

To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle newsletter.

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.

The Source: Information in this story came from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and FOX Weather Meteorologist Scott Sistek.

WeatherNewsWashington