A gray cloud shrouded Mount St. Helens, an active volcano in Washington State, on Tuesday, causing commercial pilots to report difficulty navigating through the opaque haze. However, it wasn’t a new eruption – high winds kicked up loose volcanic ash from previous eruptions in 1980 and suspended it in the air.
The 1980 eruption was one of the most destructive in US history, killing 57 people in Washington State. This week’s cloud reminded locals of that disaster. Meteorologist Noah Alviz explained that when snow melts away on Mount St. Helens by late summer, exposed ash can become airborne, especially with strong winds.
Winds from Eastern Oregon to Western Oregon may have contributed to the unusual gusts. Adam Batz, a meteorologist, said localized dust storms form over Mount St. Helens every few years. The US Geological Survey warned of ash up to 10,000 feet in the atmosphere, but Tuesday’s cloud was much smaller than the massive ash column from 1980.
Unlike the 80,000-foot-tall eruption, Tuesday’s cloud didn’t cause significant damage or block sunlight. Local businesses weren’t concerned about the ash cloud, mostly observed by travelers in the air. The Weather Service Unit in Seattle issued an advisory to warn of aerial hazards.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/us/mount-st-helens-volcanic-ash-cloud.html