1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens

The eruption of the Washington volcano on 18 May was accompanied by a massive landslide, and the catalogue attributes the resulting wave to the volcano and the slide together. Local accounts describe it as the largest wave ever to hit Washington State. Less than three weeks earlier, on 30 April 1980, Washington State Governor Dixie Lee Ray had signed an order closing portions of the mountain.

Date and time (UTC)

1980-05-18

Highest recorded water height (m)

250

Cause, as the catalogue records it

volcano and landslide

NCEI event page

www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/tsunami/event-more-info/3018

Category: Disasters & Incidents

Tags: volcano, landslide, washington, united states

Coordinates: 46.2, -122.18

Part of Tsunamis with waves of 15 metres or more from 1950 to 1999

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