Alaska Flights Grounded amid Continued Activity at Pavlof

VOLCANIC HAZARD
SCENARIO 07
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Regional Airline Cancels Alaska Flights

Plumes of smoke, steam and ash from Pavlof continue to reach heights  of about 7,500m (24,000 feet),  according to Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO).

Meantime, PenAir, a regional airline, canceled flights from Anchorage to  Cold Bay and Dutch Harbor on the Aleutian Islands on Wednesday.

Pavlof eruption with lava fountaining, early June 3, 2014, as viewed from Cold Bay. Photo credit: AVO/ Robert Stacy.

So far, no ash has reached any of local communities, according to AVO.

LAST ACTIVITY REPORT: ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY

Thursday, June 5, 2014 5:16 AM AKDT (Thursday, June 5, 2014 13:16 UTC)
UPDATED by FIRE-EARTH at 13:35UTC

PAVLOF VOLCANO (VNUM #312030)
55°25’2″ N 161°53’37” W, Summit Elevation 8261 ft (2518 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Two strong explosions were recorded in seismic data early this morning (10:05 and 10:45 UTC; 02:05 and 02:45 AKDT) at Pavlof. Lightning was detected by the WWLLN system but there is no indication of higher altitude ash in satellite data. Meteorological cloud tops are up to 29,000 ft. ASL and winds are to the west-southwest.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014 12:14 PM AKDT (Wednesday, June 4, 2014 20:14 UTC)

The eruption of Pavlof Volcano continues. Seismicity remains stable and unchanged in the past 24 hours. Persistent elevated surface temperatures were observed in satellite images. FAA web camera views yesterday afternoon showed a towering steam plume above the vent and lower-level ash from pyroclastic flow activity on the north flank. Wind direction has shifted in the past 24 hours to a more westerly direction and recent satellite views show a plume rich in SO2 gas, steam, and minor ash extending variably between 30 and 100 km downwind and passing over Cold Bay. There have been no reports of ash fall in Cold Bay or any other community. Incandescence from lava fountaining was visible in early morning web camera images, however low-level weather clouds obscure more recent views.

Alerts at Other Alaska Volcanoes

• Shishaldin: Color Code: ORANGE/ Alert Level WATCH
• Cleveland: Color Code YELLOW / Alert Level ADVISORY
• Veniaminof: Color Code YELLOW / Alert Level ADVISORY

Index map showing location of Pavlof volcano and other Alaska Peninsula volcanoes.  Credit: Janet Schaefer/AVO

Related Links

• Eruption of Pavlof Continues June 4, 2014
• Pavlof Eruption Intensifies June 26, 2013
• Second Alaska Volcano Erupts Posted on May 16, 2013
• Volcanoes in a Dozen Global Regions Erupting  May 19, 2013

‘Humongous’ storm spreads across the US

Christmas day could bring 2 ft of snow

Winter storm spreading from the north to Texas and from west Colorado to Illinois

“There’s just a humongous storm moving across the center of the country, basically from the Canadian border to Texas and spreading from west Colorado to Illinois.”  —National Weather Service.

Near Real-Time U.S. Composite Satellite Image.  Click image to enlarge.

At least 10 people have been killed most of them in accidents caused by icy roads throughout Kansas, Nebraska, and New Mexico. Up to 300 flights from Chicago airport have been canceled.

The latest storm closely follows a record snowfall that blanketed the US East Coast last weekend, causing power cuts to at least 100,000 customers in the region. Many in West Virginia and Virginia are still without power, reports said.

The storm system developed in the southwestern US on Tuesday creating large dust storms across the California desert and Arizona.

The system then moved across the country to the Midwest and is currently causing severe blizzards throughout the region covering a large area from Kansas to Minnesota.

“We would recommend that people if at all possible postpone their travel plans just to be on the safe side,” Pat Slattery, a spokesman for the National Weather Service said. “This is not a storm to be messed with.”

Nebraska, and the Upper Mississippi Valley should experience the worst of the snow accumulation, with freezing rain expected across much of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, forecasters said, warning of thunderstorms causing flooding across the Ohio Valley to Texas in the south.

IR Satellite Image. Click image to update.

Weather. Click image to enlarge and update.

Temperature. Click image to enlarge and update.

Predominant Weather. Click image to enlarge and update.

Related Links:

• Winter Officially Starts Today!
• You Don’t Bring A Gun To A Snowball Fight!