The Sky Was Ash Grey 32 Years Ago

Today marks the 32 anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helen’s volcano in Washington State. The volcano had been dormant for over 100 years before it decide to do its thing. It exploded with such ferocity that researchers say it was 500 times as powerful as the Hiroshima bomb. The blast took 130 feet off of the top of the mountain and claimed 57 lives. Although it occurred in Washington State the volcano had an effect on this area as well. For those who remember the skies began to turn ash grey for a few days after the eruption. Hannibal and Quincy areas experienced a faint sun for about 48 hours as I recall. There was a layer of dust from the ash deposited in the area from the volcano which made owners of car washes happy but really was an inconvenience for others. Mt. St. Helen’s has been quiet since but just because it’s nowhere near us doesn’t mean we won’t experience its next eruption even in a minor way. Lets hope it waits a few hundred years to do it again. Somebody else will be washing what used to be my car then.