Mount Adams Eruption Risk: Washington Updates Evacuation Plans

What's going on with Mt. Adams? Are you concerned about another big volcanic eruption in Washington State? Many people remember the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Now
Washington State officials are looking over state plans for evacuation and other plans in case of a big eruption at Mt. Adams. The mountain saw an increase in seismic activity at the end of last year. Now authorities from all around the state are getting together updating evacuation and coordination plans.

ACTIVITY ON THE MOUNTAIN IS RAMPING UP

It's usually not a very active mountain with one small earthquake about every 2 years. However there were 12 earthquakes recorded between September 2024 and January 2025. One of the quakes measured 2.0 magnitude.

State and Federal lawmakers are also watching and taking action. In fact U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington state is joining senators from Alaska and Hawaii in pushing for more federal spending on volcano monitoring.  The senators are sponsoring legislation that would reauthorize the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring Systems Act, which expired in 2013.

WASHINGTON STATE IS EARTHQUAKE COUNTRY

Washington state is home to four of the nation's most dangerous volcanoes. One of the most active this year is Mt. Adams. It's a volcano that the experts say they expect to erupt next but there's no way to tell exactly when that will happen. It's the reason why all the officials are working to install more monitoring equipment and coordinate plans for evacuation.