Soufriere Hills volcano eruption ash on sat loop

[bvigal]

This morning's eruption of Soufriere Hills volcano in Montserrat continues to emit ash into the air. This is amazingly displayed on visible loop:
http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/DATA/rtgif ... _long.html

Note the shift in wind from SE to E/SE ,which has brought more ash directly to our area this afternoon!

Our forecast today: numerous showers
Our weather today: dry, hot, hazy

Ash advisories:
http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/messages.html#SOUF

[wxmann_91]

Imagine if that volcano erupted when a TC was blowing over.

Double disaster.

Does anybody have any sat pics of when Mt. Pinatubo erupted. I understand that was what exactly happened. I saw a pic before but since then I haven't seen it. And let me tell you it was incredible.

[wxmann_91]

Never mind found some by googling.

All I have to say is WOW!

[cycloneye]

Very interesting loop of the plume from Monserrat.For sure some of that will reach Puerto Rico unless the winds shift to a more east direction.

[bvigal]

Very interesting loop of the plume from Monserrat.For sure some of that will reach Puerto Rico unless the winds shift to a more east direction.

Hi Luis! Yes, if it keeps up, you may see some in San Juan. We have a grey cast to the air tonight, like someone's burning wet brush. St. Thomas is invisible again, nearby island only a mile away is pretty faint! I imagine everyone here will find some ash on their cars when they go to wash them in the morning!


Wxman, that's an amazing photo of Pinatubo from Goddard!!

[mike18xx]

I theorize that one reason for active tropics (and Indian monsoons) and record temps this year is lack of recent volcanic activity dirtying the upper atmosphere (thus enabling more solar heating to reach the surface.

Anyone have links for atmospheric clarity at various levels?

[msbee]

Looks like it is coming right towards BVI
It's coming close to us but looks like it will pass just South.

[HurricaneQueen]

If I remember correctly the last time the volcano erupted was 1995-the infamous year for tropical storms in the Caribbean including Iris, Luis and Marilyn . Hope there is no correlation.

Lynn

[AussieMark]

If I remember correctly the last time the volcano erupted was 1995-the infamous year for tropical storms in the Caribbean including Iris, Luis and Marilyn . Hope there is no correlation.

Lynn

I was sure it blew its top in 1997

[Derecho]

If I remember correctly the last time the volcano erupted was 1995-the infamous year for tropical storms in the Caribbean including Iris, Luis and Marilyn . Hope there is no correlation.

Lynn

Actually Soufriere Hills has basically been erupting continuously since 1995.

[Hurricaneman]

Wow, what an image

[caribepr]

Yep...poor Montserrat blows (burps more realistically) every once in awhile on a pretty consistant basis and we all get the snow. Truthfully, I've seen more ash than dust (from the last time a couple of weeks ago) here.
Rule of thumb, volcano - white Saharan - red
Eyes and lungs don't care much about color....

[EDR1222]

Those certainly are incredible images. Thanks for posting them!

[bvigal]

Here's the chronology of Soufriere http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volcanoes/west.i ... ology.html

Here are two of those visible sats today of the ash drift:

[mike18xx]

Actually Soufriere Hills has basically been erupting continuously since 1995.

AFAIK, all of the Soufriere eruptions have been "low" atmospheric events -- i.e., the ash clouds did not rise into the stratosphere (and thereby spread around sunlight-reflecting ash and sulferic-acid droplets in a big shroud)

[caribepr]

Actually Soufriere Hills has basically been erupting continuously since 1995.

AFAIK, all of the Soufriere eruptions have been "low" atmospheric events -- i.e., the ash clouds did not rise into the stratosphere (and thereby spread around sunlight-reflecting ash and sulferic-acid droplets in a big shroud)

I'm not sure what that means?? I lived on St. Croix when ash literally covered the streets enough to wipe your fingers through it (and everything else with an outdoor exposed surface) plus having an amazing lingering effect on plant life throughout the VI's (that I know of, heard stories from the BVI's as well, but didn't see it), things blossoming and producing that had been dormant for many years with the Ag people attributing it to volcanic ash. We often get the fall out of a *burp* from the volcano here on Culebra.
The above examples just to clarify and then ask...what does your post mean in relationship to what we have experienced here? I think I'm not understanding it correctly??

[Hurricaneman]

The virgin islands seemed to have burped

[mike18xx]

In order for a volcano to affect climate, it must belch an ash-cloud up into the stratosphere, where it can spread out and shroud the whole planet. Pinatubo ejected material up to 100,000ft, and caused global cooling for an entire year.

[abajan]

Avoid breathing that ash, if possible. It can be lethal because it forms a kind of cement in the lungs.

Last night, National Geographic Channel showed something on super volcanoes. A greater percentage of fatalities can be caused by ash inhalation (sometimes thousands of miles away from "ground zero") than by pyroclastic flows and other hazards much closer to the eruption.

Interestingly enough, it was theorized that the greatest number would perish worldwide months afterwards because of crop failures due to abnormally low temperatures precipitated by a veiled effect of volcanic ash in the stratosphere.