On This Day in 1980, Mount St. Helens Erupted, Killing 57 People in Its Aftermath
The forecaster helped track the ash plume and coordinate warnings as the eruption sent ash up to 80,000 feet, officials said.
- On May 18, 1980, the National Weather Service Seattle Forecast Office managed critical aviation warnings as Mount St. Helens erupted at 8:32 a.m., with a forecaster coordinating emergency responses.
- Earthquakes rumbled under the mountain throughout March 1980, followed by the appearance of a growing bulge on the north side, until a 5.1 magnitude quake triggered the largest landslide in recorded history.
- Damage from the blast reached $1.1 billion, killing 57 people while more than 900,000 tons of ash blanketed the Northwest and columns reached 80,000 feet.
- Following the disaster, the International Civil Aviation Organization created specific volcanic ash codes for aviation forecasts, and Mount St. Helens now maintains the largest monitoring network in the Cascades with more than 20 stations.
- Forty-Six years later, residents reflect on the historic event that forever changed the regional landscape, serving as a reminder of Mount St. Helens' status as the most active volcano in the lower 48 states.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Remembering Mount St. Helens: 46 years after the historic volcanic eruption
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- May 18th marks the 46th anniversary of the devastating Mount St. Helens eruption in Washington State. The powerful volcanic event killed 57 people and devastated some 210 miles of wilderness across the Cascade Range. A 5.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded just before the eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18,
Remembering the Mount St. Helens eruption and people who died on the mountain
Everyone who was in the Pacific Northwest on May 18, 1980 has some kind of story about the Mount St. Helens eruption. OPB producer Ian McCluskey revisited that fateful day with some people who remember it very well for both personal and professional reasons. For this week’s episode, we’re revisiting a conversation with Ian about unearthing lost stories from Mount St. Helens.Listen to all episodes of The Evergreen podcast here.
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