USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-CVO-2026-10-16T18:14:28+00:00

CASCADES VOLCANO OBSERVATORY WEEKLY UPDATE
U.S. Geological Survey
Friday, October 16, 2026, 11:32 AM PDT (Friday, October 16, 2026, 18:32 UTC)

CASCADE RANGE (VNUM #)
Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN

Summary: All volcanoes are at normal levels.

Activity Update: All volcanoes in the Cascade Range of Washington and Oregon are at normal background activity levels. These include Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams in Washington State and Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters, Newberry, and Crater Lake in Oregon.

During the past week, small earthquakes were detected at Mount Hood, Mount Rainier, and Mount St. Helens. All monitoring data remain consistent with background activity levels throughout the Cascade Range. This week, field crews performed maintenance on monitoring stations at Three Sisters and Mount Rainier.

On Thursday 15 Oct 2026, strong southeasterly winds resuspended volcanic ash in the vicinity of Mount St. Helens. The National Weather Service estimated that that the resulting ash cloud reached a maximum altitude of 12,000 ft (3,658 m) above sea level. This phenomenon is not the result of recent volcanic activity and occurs during times of high winds and dry, snow-free conditions in the Mount St. Helens region.

The U.S. Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory and the University of Washington Pacific Northwest Seismic Network continue to monitor Washington and Oregon volcanoes closely and will issue additional notifications as warranted.

Website Resources

For images, graphics, and general information on Cascade Range volcanoes: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/cvo
For seismic information on Oregon and Washington volcanoes: http://www.pnsn.org/volcanoes
For information on USGS volcano alert levels and notifications: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcano-notifications-deliver-situational-information

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Seth Moran, Acting Scientist-in-Charge, Cascades Volcano Observatory, smoran@usgs.gov

General inquiries: askCVO@usgs.gov

Media inquiries: volcanomedia@usgs.gov