Mt. St. Helens from Portland, 07-22-80

To give you some idea how close Mt. St. Helens is to Portland here is a picture I took of an eruption in July, 1980.

July 22, 1980

Update
Mount St. Helens on Higher Eruption Alert

Mount St. Helens could erupt within days, government scientists said on Wednesday, raising the alert after movement in the volcano's lava crust was detected following a week of small earthquakes.



The volcano last erupted in 1980, killing 57 people and destroying more than 200 homes. Acres of evergreen spruce forest were flattened and ash billowed across North America.


"We think that the likelihood of an eruption has increased," Cynthia Gardner, seismologist for the U.S. Geological Survey reporters. The USGS raised the alert level for the volcano to its third highest level of a possible explosion. Four indicates an imminent eruption.


"What we're still anticipating is a small to moderate explosion," Gardner said, saying that even a small explosion could send ash into the air that could travel "tens of miles" and obstruct air traffic.


Mount St. Helens is in the southeastern part of Washington state, about 100 miles south of Seattle and 50 miles north of Oregon's largest city, Portland.