The eruption of a volcano this week on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula has prompted some Alaska flight cancellations.
Monday saw Shiveluch Volcano's largest eruption in nearly 60 years with ash exploding at least 50,000 feet into the air. While the bulk of that cloud is to the southwest of Alaska around the western Aleutians, a ribbon of volcanic gas and a little ash reached the mainland on Wednesday.
BREAKING: An ash cloud from a volcanic eruption in Russia is impacting flights in the state of Alaska. As a safety precaution, @AlaskaAir has canceled some flights to and from Alaska and within the state. Guests can check the status of their flight at https://t.co/paAYVccsjy.
— Alaska Airlines News (@AlaskaAirNews) April 13, 2023
By Thursday afternoon, Alaska Airlines reported canceling 28 flights due to ash from the volcano according to the Associated Press. A Twitter post from the airline Thursday morning recommending passengers check their flight status.
Airline spokesperson Tim Thompson said in an email that as a safety precaution the company canceled eight flights between Western Alaska airports and Anchorage on Wednesday. Those flights were to Adak, Bethel, Dillingham and King Salmon.
Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola was among those affected by the eruption overnight Wednesday, after her flight from Honolulu to Anchorage was turned back due to the ash plume. On Thursday morning she and other passengers were on the ground again in Honolulu, waiting for a chance to return home.
Dave Schneider, a research geophysicist with the Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage, says lava from the Shiveluch volcano forms a dome, parts of which periodically collapse and create ash clouds.
“What happened a couple days ago was much more significant," he said. "It's still too early to really know exactly what went on, but I surmise that a large part of the lava dome that's been growing for years collapsed and unleashed a pretty good sized eruption.”
The massive cloud was initially moving west, blanketing villages in Russia with a thick layer of ash. But as another weather system came in, it started moving east, toward Alaska. And parts of the cloud are peeling off. As of Wednesday, the ash was still out in the western Aleutians.
"But bits and pieces of it are sort of getting pulled off, sort of like you're making toffee, and you can pull a branch off, and it'll sort of go off in its own direction,” Schneider said.
Check out satellite imagery of the cloud here
One cloud actually passed over Dillingham on Wednesday, though Schneider said it was mainly sulfur dioxide gas and contained very little ash.
“Both of those are part of the volcanic cloud that was produced," he said. "And with satellites, we're able to track those and that helps the weather service issue forecasts and sort of see where the cloud is and where it's moving.”
The volcano’s emissions decreased on Wednesday, and Schneider said that while there’s no guaranteeing exactly when the cloud will disperse, that’s a fair sign that travel could soon be back to normal.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
KBBI's Hope McKenney contributed information to this story.
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