It’s a beautiful morning at the Volcano. Clear skies. The Sun just right. And a steam eruption that has been going on now for more than three hours.
Vulcanologists are saying the magma intrusion that past few days is occurring at twice the rate of all the massive dome-building in the 1980s.
Two days in a row, although this morning’s weather is even better than yesterday!
And what does that mean to us, in terms of seeing it go BOOM?
Is it just dome building, no eruption?
Will the dome build from the inside, or will magma spill out the top and build it up from the outside?
That rise in the middle of the crater wasn’t there, the last time I checked.
That dome was built in the 80s after the big eruptions. I think this discusses it a little.
Destruction,destruction,that’s all you people can think about.What about all the deer,skunks,yellow jacket nests,giant camera flies,and aliens that might be curious about all the humans that have congregated to watch this event and are probably stationed over the dome in their hovercraft,watching? What about the poor innocent eels that fill the bottom of their hovercraft?
Won’t someone think of the EELS?
[sup]When the hell is this pokey volcano gonna pop its’ cork? I just know it’ll happen when I’m asleep.Duckster,let me know when you guys get it together enough to pinpoint eruptions,so the rest of us can have eruption parties,with countdowns and so forth.[/sup]
Cool! Giant bee attacking the mountain!
It’s steaming a bit right now.
The naked eye only sees a small bit. The media still wants images of an explosive eruption. Otherwise, they consider the current activity to be a non-event. How wrong they are …
Source: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Cascades/CurrentActivity/current_updates.html
USGS scientists are saying the new dome is growing at a rate twice that of the 1980-86 dome building that created the current dome. The new dome is south of the current dome and growing off of that dome. The USGS is now saying there is a ten percent chance an explosive eruption will rival the 1980 eruption.
How about we get some leftover bombs from the Iraq War and raise that chance a bit? 
You mean the Iraqi war is over in that we have leftover munitions?
Actually, a sacrificial virgin or two should do the trick.
Oooh.
Steam lit from within.
Wait a minute, we’re talking Mt. St. Helens, not Popocatapetl.
Besides, as somebody (Groucho?) said, sacrificing virgins is such a waste! 
During the 1980 eruption, a man did show up with a young female (claiming to be a virgin). He was stopped before carrying out the deed.
Today, the USGS announced magma has indeed reached the surface and the new bulge is actually a new lava dome. Diminished seismic activity is consistent with the magma having found an easy path to the surface and the breaking up of old rock (earthquakes) is not a good indication of further volcanic activity. However, the USGS is unsure the current volcanic activity will remain as magma oozing to the surface or become an explosive eruption.
The FLIR infrared images are showing extremely hot areas of the old dome and new dome. It remains to be seen how that heat will escape.
Would someone please turn off the fog machine in front of the webcam? Thanks!
Source: NWS Forecast for Mount St. Helens this week
Not a chance!
Well, the weather may not be blue skies, but at 14:23 today the webcam got a really cool shot!