Mt. St. Helens Timeline

  • Mt. St. Helens explodes a little ash

    At 12:30pm on March 27 tree foresters hear a small explosion of ash coming from Mt. St. Helens.
  • Mt. St. Helens is evacuated

    On March 28th at 12:30 pm people are evacuated from the area and roads nears the volcano are shut down.
  • Bulge appears on Mt. St. Helens

    On April 24th a bulge appears on the right side of the mountain and it continues to grow larger.
  • Safety zone is made for Mt. St. Helens

    On April 30th as the bulge is continuing to grow, the government sets up a safety zone that people are not allowed to go in.
  • Observation post added

    On May 1st scientists set up a new observation post to observe Mt. St. Helens erupting.
  • Earthquakes occur

    On May 16th earthquakes begin to occur.
  • Residents attempt to see homes

    On May 17th at 8 am residents try to get back into their homes.
  • Mt. St. Helens erupts

    Mt. St. Helens erupts at 8:32 in the morning following an earthquake.
  • Lightning bolts in ash cloud

    Due to the extreme temperatures on May 18th after Mt. St. Helens erupts lightning occurs inside of the ash cloud.
  • Shock wave occurse

    On May 18th a shock wave occurs
  • Mudslides rush down mountain

    On May 18th mudslides rush down mountain.
  • River gets filled with logs

    At 9:01 on May 18th the river gets filled with logs.
  • Air slowly clears

    The air slowly clears around the volcano.
  • Helicopters look for survivors

    On May 18th later after the eruption, helicopters look for survivors.
  • Mt. St. Helens eruption secedes

    The Mt. St. Helens volcanic eruption secedes at 5:30 pm on May 18th.
  • Ash does lots of damage

    On May 25 at 9:30 am the ash does significant damage to everything involved.
  • National Park was created

    Mt. St. Helens national park was created.