Volcano in United States
Mount St. Helens volcano: eruption status today
Updated
No eruption of Mount St. Helens is being reported right now Last eruption: 1964 or later; last significant eruption 1980 (NOAA NCEI).
Live status of Mount St. Helens: whether it is erupting now, satellite hot spots, earthquakes around it, and what an eruption would mean for nearby cities and flights.
- Status now
- No open report
- Last eruption
- 1964 or later last significant: 1980
- Elevation
- 2,549 m 8,363 ft
- Type
- Stratovolcano
- Earthquakes within 50 km
- 84 past 30 days (USGS)
- Hot spots within 10 km
- 0 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
- Nearest city
- Longview, WA 59 km W
Is Mount St. Helens erupting right now?
There is no open NASA EONET event for Mount St. Helens right now. NOAA NCEI dates its most recent eruption to 1964 or later, and the last eruption in its significant-eruption database was in 1980. Volcano observatories can raise alert levels before an eruption starts, so check the national observatory for the current alert level.
No satellite thermal hot spot was detected within 10 km of the summit in the latest NASA FIRMS data, so there is no sign of lava at the surface large enough for VIIRS to see (clouds can hide it).
Earthquakes near Mount St. Helens
USGS located 84 earthquakes within 50 km of Mount St. Helens in the past 30 days, 10 of them in the last week. The largest was M2.0 on Sep 26, 2026, 0 km WSW of the summit at 0 km depth.
60 of them were shallower than 10 km. Swarms of shallow quakes can mean magma or gas is moving, but most swarms end without an eruption; observatories combine them with ground deformation and gas data.
| Time (UTC) | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24, 20:34 UTC | M1.4 | 2 km NW | 7 km | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 24, 20:33 UTC | M1.3 | 1 km NW | 7 km | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 24, 19:25 UTC | M1.3 | 0 km NW | 6 km | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 24, 19:25 UTC | M1.2 | 1 km NW | 3 km | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 24, 16:31 UTC | M-0.1 | 1 km NW | 2 km | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 22, 20:47 UTC | M0.4 | 22 km SW | 18 km | 16 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 22, 10:34 UTC | M1.7 | 16 km NNW | 11 km | 24 km S of Morton, Washington |
| Oct 22, 06:56 UTC | M0.5 | 36 km W | 18 km | 20 km ESE of Castle Rock, Washington |
| Oct 21, 14:45 UTC | M0.2 | 1 km WNW | 2 km | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 19, 21:09 UTC | M-0.1 | 1 km W | 2 km | 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 18, 07:52 UTC | M0.5 | 2 km WNW | 3 km | 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 17, 10:40 UTC | M-0.1 | 1 km NW | 5 km | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 17, 06:06 UTC | M0.8 | 1 km WNW | 2 km | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 17, 03:37 UTC | M0.2 | 1 km WNW | 3 km | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 17, 03:14 UTC | M0.5 | 1 km WNW | 4 km | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 16, 21:52 UTC | M0.4 | 0 km SW | 1 km | 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 16, 11:58 UTC | M0.5 | 1 km WNW | 2 km | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 16, 10:40 UTC | M0.3 | 50 km E | -1 km | 24 km N of Trout Lake, Washington |
| Oct 16, 10:40 UTC | M0.8 | 49 km E | -1 km | 23 km N of Trout Lake, Washington |
| Oct 16, 04:51 UTC | M0.4 | 1 km WNW | 3 km | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 15, 09:37 UTC | M0.4 | 1 km NW | 3 km | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 15, 06:29 UTC | M0.2 | 8 km SSE | 6 km | 33 km NE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 15, 05:48 UTC | M0.4 | 1 km W | 3 km | 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 14, 13:10 UTC | M0.4 | 1 km W | 3 km | 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington |
| Oct 13, 22:19 UTC | M0.3 | 15 km W | 9 km | 32 km N of Amboy, Washington |
About Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens is a stratovolcano in Washington, United States, rising to 2,549 m (8,363 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Historical".
Stratovolcanoes are steep cones built from alternating lava and ash layers; their eruptions are often explosive, with ash columns that can reach cruising altitude.
The nearest large town is Longview, WA, about 59 km W of the summit; 5 other cities lie within 250 km.
- Longview, WA (59 km) earthquakes nearby
- Vancouver, WA (73 km) earthquakes nearby
- Gresham (80 km) earthquakes nearby
- Portland (84 km) earthquakes nearby
- Bethany (89 km) earthquakes nearby
- Beaverton (93 km) earthquakes nearby
Flights and volcanic ash
3 major airports are within 400 km; the closest is Portland (PDX), 75 km away. Volcanic ash melts in jet engines, so an explosive eruption can close airspace and cancel flights even far downwind.
Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) issue the official ash advisories that airlines and air traffic control follow.
| Airport | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Portland (PDX) | 75 km | SSW |
| Seattle–Tacoma (SEA) | 139 km | N |
| Vancouver (YVR) | 341 km | NNW |
Other volcanoes in United States
United States has 58 volcanoes on this site that erupted since 1900 or are active now, 2 of them with an open NASA activity report today. The closest other one is Mount Hood, 99 km away.
Nearby volcanoes
Volcanoes in United States
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Data: NOAA NCEI Volcano Locations, NASA EONET (open volcano events), USGS earthquakes, NASA FIRMS (VIIRS hot spots), Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.