06/01/2026
On this day in 1980... 14 days since the eruption: As many of you shared in your comments on our earlier posts, volcanic ash from the May 18 eruption has blanketed much of eastern Washington causing great hardship and economic loss. Reporters in Yakima determine that about 600,000 tons of ash has fallen on the 12.9-square-mile city.
The top of the ash column has remained between 13,000 and 20,000 feet above sea level, with continued ashfall over the Memorial Day weekend adding to the travel disruption throughout the state. And the costs of the eruption are mounting:
• The Port of Portland reports that closure of the Columbia River to shipping has meant a revenue loss of $4 million a day, and the Port of Vancouver estimates losses of $1 million a day.
• Gifford Pinchot National Forest staff estimate that $114 million worth of resources (not including wildlife) has been lost, including one billion board feet of damaged or destroyed timber, valued at $100 million.
• The Corps of Engineers estimates that costs for flood-control, navigation, and water-supply rehabilitation projects could reach $219 million.
• Governor Ray estimates that total eruption damage is "$1.1 billion and might go higher."
The month of June, however, opens quietly. The volcano continues to vent steam, which rises in clouds to about 12,000 feet. Measurements of the 'new' Spirit Lake reveal that its depth is now about 100 feet or less, instead of its former depth of about 200 feet. The lake-water temperature was measured at 97°F (36 °C) at the surface and 95°F (35°C) on the bottom.
Harmonic tremor, which returned to the mountain a few days ago, decreased in amplitude by about two thirds early in the morning. This decrease could mean that movement of magma under the volcano is subsiding, but no one knows. USGS geologists warn that, although the volcano appears to be relatively quiet now, it still remains dangerous to anyone nearby.
Search dogs have been used in ground searches for survivors and victims of the eruption, but these searches have now been suspended. From now on, special search-and-rescue missions will be conducted only if the last known location of a possible victim can be closely fixed. The count stands at 22 dead and 53 still missing.
Tomorrow, Governor Ray will change the executive order that established the restricted zones around Mount St. Helens, defining the exact boundary of the Red Zone and setting forth new rules for entry. The penalty for unauthorized presence in the Red Zone has already been set at a fine of $1,000 or a year in jail or both.
The Governor will also ask for more Federal aid, saying, "Clearly, neither this State nor its local sub-units of government can continue [on their own] to cope with the physical effects of the disaster, let alone the financial burden."
Source: Foxworthy, B., and Hill, M., 1982, Volcanic eruptions of 1980 at Mount St. Helens: The first 100 days: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1249.
This photo taken by Robert L. Smith shows USGS colleague Robert L. Christiansen dwarfed by the jagged landscape formed by debris from the avalanche and a tangle of uprooted trees at this site north of the western lobe of Spirit Lake (the view here is toward the southwest.)
