It seems to be a busy time globally for volcanology. The recent eruption of Villarrica in Chilli on March the 3rd sent ash and lava up into the sky! Reportedly seen from up to 100 km away. Over two thousand people were evacuated from Pucon, and another thousand from Panguipulli. Local authorities were particularly concerned that mudslides caused by the melting snow could endanger the nearby communities, highlighting the dynamic and varied nature of this type of environmental hazard. Luckily, no injuries have been reported thus far. The ash from the volcano could also pose a hazard to health. Meteorologists currently expect the ash cloud to be blown south and across remote parts of Argentina.
Source: http://www.zki.dlr.de/article/2715
Before and after image of the eruption, notice the extensive snow melt around the right flank of the volcano.
Looking at the week ahead, the weather seems to to be improving, hopefully it can crack up a few degrees more in time for our visit to Sicily, ten days and counting!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2525068
The weather in Catania for next week, just before the trip
UPDATE: 12/03/2015
NASA’s Earth Observatory has some really nice Landsat images of the before and after and also a great side on view of how the eruption has stripped away the snow!
Check out http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=85465&src=share for more information and high res versions of the images.
