Redoubt Volcano - level Orange

[Connie M.]

23 below this morning, and we're still on volcano alert. sigh
The first time it popped back in '89, I was excited, but then, what a mess! And now it's back, right on schedule. (more sighs)
Redoubt, Augustine, Spurr, and now Redoubt again. But if I were to move back to Idaho, then Yellowstone would probably explode!
Oh well, at least the Trillium is safely tucked away.

[Joy A]

Yes, things keep changing at Yellowstone. A week or so ago a Volcanologist was mentioning that Yellowstone has erupted every xxxxx number of years. He was asked "Where are we now??" His response was right at xxxxx years. So maybe it'll go off in my lifetime, I've a good 35 more ahead of me. I plan on making it until 100.

I heard about Mt. Redoubt and drug out my Alaska pictures of it that I took 2 years ago while going to and fro on the Kenai. I loved the end of the Spit. I was thinking that might be a good place to be to watch the eruption as the ash should blow the other way. THEN, it dawned on me that it's winter, I sometime forget since I'm here in California. Any way, I thought winter on the Spit, I don't think so.

Take care. I'll be think about you.

[Pamela H]

I found some footage on the volcano...

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/01/30/m...bt-volcano.html

Pam

[Frederick L. Simson]

THEN, it dawned on me that [b]it's winter, I sometime forget since I'm here in California.

[Gina D.]

Having been less than 100 miles north of st Helens when it popped.. I can tell ya..

watching it on video is preferable to being there.

cough cough.. itch.. PU!

[Lisa M.]

I lived in Oakland, CA at the time of the Mount St. Helens eruption. I remember going out to the car on the following Sunday morning for church, and finding it covered with ash. That light ash sure does travel!

Having been less than 100 miles north of st Helens when it popped.. I can tell ya..

watching it on video is preferable to being there.

cough cough.. itch.. PU!

[Connie M.]

My sister and niece lived in Missoula when Mt. St. Helens erupted. The first word the town got about the impending ashfall was from some ham radio operators who were manning an event on the west side of town. Nowadays, I go to the Alaska Volcano Observatory website every morning to check the reports and look at the webcams.

(But, Joy, Homer is downright balmy - and they have a good tsunami warning system!)

[Donna D.]

I found some footage on the volcano...

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/01/30/m...bt-volcano.html

Pam

Here's another page from the Alaska Volcano Observatory: Redoubt Activity - Color Code ORANGE : Alert Level WATCH

[ronsmith100]

Wow.. I looked at a map... I never knew those volcanoes were so close to people. I thought they were out on whatever that string of islands is called.
If there was a St Helen's bang what would you get besides earthquakes? Ash? How close are you to a tsunami?

[Greg A]

My sister and niece lived in Missoula when Mt. St. Helens erupted. The first word the town got about the impending ashfall was from some ham radio operators who were manning an event on the west side of town. Nowadays, I go to the Alaska Volcano Observatory website every morning to check the reports and look at the webcams.

(But, Joy, Homer is downright balmy - and they have a good tsunami warning system!)

I was on the flight crew with the original Frontier Airlines and was overnight in Missoula, MT when Helens blew. We were supposed to be the early morning flight out. Dispatch called us that evening and told us we weren't going anywhere. Airplane engines and volcanic ash in the atmosphere don't mix. We ended up getting a wonderful four day stay in one of my favorite towns, Missoula, while we waited for the ash to subside enough to clear for take-off. If I recall, it shut down just about the entire Western route system for all airlines.

[Connie M.]

Ron - We just get ash, or some boulders if you're REALLY close, from Redoubt, and the associated tremors are generally too small to feel. (But a mud flow could mess up the Drift River terminal across the inlet.) Mt. Redoubt is sort of like the Old Faithful of volcanoes, about every 20 years.
We had a good shake in January, but they say it had nothing to do with Redoubt. I still think earthquakes are fun - because I wasn't here in 1964! But when I think of the damage and death in places like Homer and Seward and Valdez (and the people killed in Oregon) from the tsunami generated by the Good Friday earthquake, I'm glad my house is at 100' and several miles inland.
Greg - A big airliner flew through the ash during Redoubt's last go-round, and all the engines shut down. Those folks must have been feeling mighty relieved when they got them started again.

[Donna D.]

Volcano looms over Iditarod dogs

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/02/05...dogs/index.html

Don't suppose they make dust masks for dogs

[reinhold m]

thar she blows!

10:38 pm 3/22/09 AKDT eruption - status level RED, flights enroute to Anchorage turned back due to ash cloud. Ash cloud height estimated to 50,000 feet. Ash supposed to reach us in Anchorage about 2:00 am (so about 1 1/2 hrs from now). Too dark to see much now - we'll see in the morning how much we end up with.


here's the link one more time (nifty 'ash cloud prediction' disbursement link on the left middle of the page)
http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Redoubt.php

EDIT: As far as the Iditarod there were still 5 dog teams on the trail this evening but all getting very close to Nome - likely all will be there by morning. http://www.iditarod.com At any rate ashfall should not be an issue for them up that way at all.

UPDATE: 02:50 am and no hint yet of ash at my house in west Anchorage. Reading the alert again I noted it predicts "light" ashfall for this area. We'll see. Will have to wait for a report from Connie M. as she is closer than I am to the volcano.

[David & Leslie]

Thank you, Rheinhold for your great report. We are glad to learn your area might receive only 'light ashfall' and pray Connie M will not suffer any damage. One of Dave's classmates has made her home in Anchorage since 1965; also has a cabin in Ninilchik (sp). They are presently 'snowbirding' in San Diego and we bet they are watching the news with fingers crossed.

We look forward to those updates - please keep 'em coming! Thanx again, and take good care, L 'n D

[Nancy]

Found these National Geog pictures from 1990. Thought they were current, but then read and they are from before.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/20...ion/photo4.html

hope my link works because that one picture is really fantastic.

Nancy

[reinhold m]

12 hours later and just able to get back to the computer. No ashfall in Anchorage as yet. Apparently the main plume went due north, then east bypassing us so presuming it would have bypassed all of the Kenai Peninsula too (where Connie M. is) - pending a report. Light ashfall was reported in communities north and east of here. It depends on the overall elevation of the ash plume/s too - winds at varying elevations blowing different ways.

the updates on the AVO website still state continued seismic activity, but declining, with the 'code level' remaining at RED and the 'alert level' at WARNING. There were 5 'large explosions' overnight the last one at 4:31 am.

The Anchorage Int'l Airport shutdown was either brief or not at all as the website shows all flights as normal now, and AVO has now sent up an observation plane to check out the mountain visually too. Likely the diverting of inbound flights last night was just a precaution and a good precaution it is - as previous posts note you do not want to fly through volcanic ash.

edit: forgot to note - still a few teams on the Iditarod trail, guess they overnighted in the final checkpoints rather than pushing on during the night. the final award is the 'red lantern' for the last team to make it to Nome. a total of 15 teams have scratched of the 67 that started.

[Connie M.]

We escaped the ashfall, too. (It's such a mess to deal with!)

[Riccardo]

I think, everything comes from the earth is wonderfull and precious!
I live in Rome, in a river of cars who go every day at work, without the way to watch what in the wild planet happens.
So, trying not to stay too near, to Know is goig to shot a big Volcano, expecially if in Alaska, I love so much, is a good news for me, and I hope to visit these places as soon as possible to feel my earth like my passion for caravaning, near to me.
Thank you, Ciao from Italy!

[Connie M.]

Yes, the world is a beautiful and fascinating place!!

[Nancy]

It blew again at 7:41 PM AKDT, new ashfall advisory and mudflow. 60,000 feet.

Hope we hear from you locals soon. Gee, I haven't been to adn.com recently. Think I'll go see if there is anything there to read.

Nancy