45 Years Ago Today: Explosion of Mt. Saint Helens Recorded from Oregon Coast

Published 05/18/25 at 7:55 p.m.
By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Manzanita, Oregon) - Today – May 18, 2025 – marks 45 years since the most explosive volcano eruption in U.S. history. On that morning in 1980, a large chunk of a mountain in southern Washington blew away. Mt. Saint Helens had been causing jitters and consternation for weeks by that time, and at 8:32 a.m. came the blast from the volcano that had been dormant for nearly 100 years. (Photo USGS)

57 in all were killed by the eruption.

The sound of that destruction was reportedly heard hundreds of miles away, and several recordings exist - some captured directly from footage of the explosion itself. Beyond the immediate blast zone, the sound is often described as a series of deep thuds, a result of sound waves bouncing off the atmosphere and ricocheting off the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

Closer to the volcano, the explosion was a sharp, crunching boom - an unsettling sound, as many recordings reveal. Numerous clips available on YouTube showcase this distinctive “thud” that those outside the blast area commonly noted.

HEAR THE RECORDING FROM THE OREGON COAST

But was the eruption audible on the Oregon coast?

Before the eruption / USGS photo

It seems likely. According to multiple geological and news sources, including The Oregonian, the blast was heard as far as 150 miles away. A blogger known as DaveInCamas has even shared a recording purportedly captured in Newport that day, featuring that same muffled thudding sound repeating several times.

This could well make the recording the farthest away ever captured at over 300 miles from the blast.

Was this one from the Oregon coast ever studied or confirmed? It does not appear so. Thus, Oregon Coast Beach Connection cannot verify the recording's authenticity. It is, however, an interesting historical tidbit to think this would've been the beach region.

SEE / HEAR ERUPTION ON YOUTUBE

Personal Observations

I was in high school at the time, a junior. I distinctly remember the dark and haze of the aftermath in Salem. Ash was fairly thick in some places on Salem streets and vehicles, though we did not get it as badly as many other spots in the state.

Already dealing with allergies and some breathing issues I was born with, I was quite worried what breathing in all that crap would do. There were times it was highly irritating and felt a little dangerous, but by and large I was pleasantly surprised by the fact it was merely irritating to “almost fine” most of the time. It lasted for a few days in Oregon's capital city.

The one that was really remarkable was the second time it blew on June 12. They had been expecting another blow but had no real clue when.

My friend and I were in Portland seeing Ella Fitzgerald, and when we emerged after the show it was still daylight – but it was raining ash.

“Whoa....the mountain blew again,” I remember saying.

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