Skip to content

Morning Lineup – March 23

4 comments

FossilMedic tipped me off first thing this morning that Mt. Redoubt, that reluctant volcano in Alaska, finally blew its top last night.  The Alaska Volcano Observatory which has been Twittering regularly every hour since the alert first went out, says that so far there have been “FOUR large explosions” (their terms) beginning at 10:38 pm Alaska time (2:38 am Eastern).  Subsequent explosions followed at 11:02 pm, 12:14 am and 1:39 am.

redoubt2-a-ap

This photo from AP taken last month shows a
steam emission from the mouth of Mt. Redoubt

They’re estimating that the largest one sent a smoke plume 50,000 feet high and that the ash hasn’t yet settled  low enough to cover anything on the ground.  The National Weather Service is saying that ashfall is expected to be light, but I don’t think that’s taking into account any further eruptions that are certain to follow.

The last time that this very active volcano erupted  was nineteen years ago when it started on December 14, 1989, and continued for six months.

redoubt2-b-april-1990

This remarkable photo was taken in April, 1990, during the last
eruption and shows an ash cloud forming after one of the scores
of explosions associated with it.

So I expect the folks in Anchorage, the state’s largest city which is only 110 miles from the volcano, are ready for a possibly dimmed Springtime.  I’m wondering how much complacency has set in since the alert first went out for them to get their filter masks and food stocks at the ready back on January 30.  We’ve got some readers up in Alaska, so hopefully they’ll send us some notes telling us how the FD’s will be coping today with this.

One of our several volcano updates from last month has a map, a video and a good photo of an outbuilding taken in 1990 showing the three feet of ash on the ground all around it.  CLICK HERE to see it.

If you want to check the AVO’s live webcams, you can view one of them HERE and that page has the links to several other webcam locations that they operate.  But it won’t become daylight until well after noon Eastern time.  And they’re not too well-equipped to handle a million page hits-per-minute, either.  So be patient.

That gives us plenty of time to get this equipment checked out now while I go start the coffee.

Update:  KTVA-TV Anchorage has this brief video of the Doppler image of the first ash cloud.  The green part of the radar is snow.  The bright yellow, orange and red flashes that pop up just north of the volcano are the ash cloud:

Posted by on March 23, 2009 • Filed under: morning lineup
  • http://cesfire.org/ Dave

    Good morning! Got some links and new info for you… I live 58 miles from the volcano in Soldotna, Alaska.

    To answer a couple of wonderings first: “I’m wondering how much complacency has set in since the alert first went out for them to get their filter masks and food stocks at the ready back on January 30.” Most folks are stocked up and ready to go. We’ve had our volcano kit for a long time and all we do is occasionally check it to make sure it’s got everything we need. There was a very strong sense of complacency the last few weeks, and a lot of folks were caught unawares around here since the first eruption took place when most sane people were asleep (I was out all night checking ash collection devices). Niksiki FD, Kenai FD and Central Emergency Services were prepared, it took less than a half hour for our crews at CES to get the air filters in place and get all the trucks “ash ready.” We have about 20 vehicles, plus a handful of on-call volunteers. So while the excitement had worn off, almost everyone I know was ready and prepared.

    The camera link you have is no longer good, the camera and a couple webicorders were knocked out during the fourth eruption last night. There was a fifth eruption at 4:31 AM AKDT (8:31 AM for you east coasters). Right now the cloud cover is 100%, ceiling is 6000 feet. Redoubt sits at 10,200 feet, so there won’t be any images from ground level today.

    Right now our sunrise is at 7:55 AM AKDT & sunset is 8:27 PM AKDT. We’re gaining 5 minutes 35 seconds of daylight per day, so you’ll have to adjust the times.

    Here are the best links to use. The AVO web site is not setup for huge amounts of bandwidth, so it might get slow from time to time.

    http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Redoubt.php
    http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/volcano.php
    http://twitter.com/alaska_avo

    The top two links are the ones that really count, anything else has been a reference back to those two.

    Anyone needing info can contact me by email for pictures & info. Or if it gets really bad here I’ll post my cell phone for anyone who would like info. I’m hoping the cloud ceiling will rise, I do professional photography for our FD and really want pictures of the volcano :)

  • http://cesfire.org Dave

    Good morning! Got some links and new info for you… I live 58 miles from the volcano in Soldotna, Alaska.

    To answer a couple of wonderings first: “I’m wondering how much complacency has set in since the alert first went out for them to get their filter masks and food stocks at the ready back on January 30.” Most folks are stocked up and ready to go. We’ve had our volcano kit for a long time and all we do is occasionally check it to make sure it’s got everything we need. There was a very strong sense of complacency the last few weeks, and a lot of folks were caught unawares around here since the first eruption took place when most sane people were asleep (I was out all night checking ash collection devices). Niksiki FD, Kenai FD and Central Emergency Services were prepared, it took less than a half hour for our crews at CES to get the air filters in place and get all the trucks “ash ready.” We have about 20 vehicles, plus a handful of on-call volunteers. So while the excitement had worn off, almost everyone I know was ready and prepared.

    The camera link you have is no longer good, the camera and a couple webicorders were knocked out during the fourth eruption last night. There was a fifth eruption at 4:31 AM AKDT (8:31 AM for you east coasters). Right now the cloud cover is 100%, ceiling is 6000 feet. Redoubt sits at 10,200 feet, so there won’t be any images from ground level today.

    Right now our sunrise is at 7:55 AM AKDT & sunset is 8:27 PM AKDT. We’re gaining 5 minutes 35 seconds of daylight per day, so you’ll have to adjust the times.

    Here are the best links to use. The AVO web site is not setup for huge amounts of bandwidth, so it might get slow from time to time.

    http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Redoubt.php
    http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/volcano.php
    http://twitter.com/alaska_avo

    The top two links are the ones that really count, anything else has been a reference back to those two.

    Anyone needing info can contact me by email for pictures & info. Or if it gets really bad here I’ll post my cell phone for anyone who would like info. I’m hoping the cloud ceiling will rise, I do professional photography for our FD and really want pictures of the volcano :)

  • http://www.cesfire.org/ Dave

    2009-03-23 12:46:46 – Status Report
    Beginning last night (Sunday March 22, 2009) at approximately 22:38 AKDT, Redoubt Volcano produced a series of five explosive eruptions that each lasted from four to thirty minutes. The last one ended at 5:00 AM AKDT this morning (March 23). National Weather Service radar, pilot reports, and AVO analysis of satellite imagery suggest that these events produced ash clouds that reached 60,000 ft above sea level (asl), with the bulk of the ash volume between 25 – 30,000 ft asl. Traces of ash fall have been reported in Skwentna, Talkeetna, Wasilla, and Trapper Creek.

    AVO remains at Avation Color Code RED and Alert Level WARNING. Seismic unrest continues at Redoubt in the form of elevated volcanic tremor. NEXRAD radar data show that the last significant ash emission was concurrent with the final explosive event at 5:00 AM AKDT. Since that time, no ash has been visible in radar, suggesting that if ash emission is occurring, it is below approximately 13,000 ft asl and/or too fine to be detected. Poor weather at the volcano currently hinders visual observations.

    Last night’s explosive eruptions caused melting of the Drift glacier and greatly increased discharge down the Drift River. AVO plans a helicopter overflight to the area today to assess conditions at the volcano and along the Drift River. The explosions also destroyed one seismic station near the volcano’s summit (RSO), and disrupted telemetry from AVO’s obsveration hut. This telemetry outage affects the web camera, a continuous GPS station, and two broadband seismic stations. Repairs to this data link will be undertaken as conditions permit. Seven telemetered seismic stations surrounding Redoubt remain in operation.

    The eruptions were preceded by approximately 60 hours of elevated seismicity in the form of discrete earthquakes under the volcano. AVO raised the Aviation Color Code/Alert Level from YELLOW/ADVISORY to ORANGE/WATCH on Saturday, March 21 at 22:09 AKDT. This increase in seismicity likely reflected the upward movement of magma towards the surface. Prior to this weekend, Redoubt had exhibited signs of volcanic unrest beginning in the Fall of 2008 which then escalated in late January, 2009. Last night’s explosions were the first significant ash-producing eruptions of the unrest.

  • http://www.cesfire.org Dave

    2009-03-23 12:46:46 – Status Report
    Beginning last night (Sunday March 22, 2009) at approximately 22:38 AKDT, Redoubt Volcano produced a series of five explosive eruptions that each lasted from four to thirty minutes. The last one ended at 5:00 AM AKDT this morning (March 23). National Weather Service radar, pilot reports, and AVO analysis of satellite imagery suggest that these events produced ash clouds that reached 60,000 ft above sea level (asl), with the bulk of the ash volume between 25 – 30,000 ft asl. Traces of ash fall have been reported in Skwentna, Talkeetna, Wasilla, and Trapper Creek.

    AVO remains at Avation Color Code RED and Alert Level WARNING. Seismic unrest continues at Redoubt in the form of elevated volcanic tremor. NEXRAD radar data show that the last significant ash emission was concurrent with the final explosive event at 5:00 AM AKDT. Since that time, no ash has been visible in radar, suggesting that if ash emission is occurring, it is below approximately 13,000 ft asl and/or too fine to be detected. Poor weather at the volcano currently hinders visual observations.

    Last night’s explosive eruptions caused melting of the Drift glacier and greatly increased discharge down the Drift River. AVO plans a helicopter overflight to the area today to assess conditions at the volcano and along the Drift River. The explosions also destroyed one seismic station near the volcano’s summit (RSO), and disrupted telemetry from AVO’s obsveration hut. This telemetry outage affects the web camera, a continuous GPS station, and two broadband seismic stations. Repairs to this data link will be undertaken as conditions permit. Seven telemetered seismic stations surrounding Redoubt remain in operation.

    The eruptions were preceded by approximately 60 hours of elevated seismicity in the form of discrete earthquakes under the volcano. AVO raised the Aviation Color Code/Alert Level from YELLOW/ADVISORY to ORANGE/WATCH on Saturday, March 21 at 22:09 AKDT. This increase in seismicity likely reflected the upward movement of magma towards the surface. Prior to this weekend, Redoubt had exhibited signs of volcanic unrest beginning in the Fall of 2008 which then escalated in late January, 2009. Last night’s explosions were the first significant ash-producing eruptions of the unrest.