The 1980 blasts were fearsome.
It was raining and too cloudy to see the first, main, explosions, but later, watching the ash boil up, one was greatful it was headed at a right angle, over toward Yakima and Spokane.
Would not have wanted to see that cloud headed toward me.
(Was dating a UA stewardess at the time, she was based at SFX and couldn't get back for 3 weeks. That explosion wasn't all bad.)
When they really go, they really go. Mother Nature has one helluva power bill.
Arf