Blasts in the Past?

Redout volcano with vapor and clouds as viewed from the Kenai Spur Highway on June 19, 2009

Photo by Ed Marker

According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, Mount Redoubt seems to be settling down. We last heard from the volcano three months ago during its last major eruption. In the meantime its lava dome has grown to the size of 17 Louisiana Superdomes. Local volcanologists warn, however, that the dome could fail at any time causing another major eruption.

Puff the Magic Ash Cloud

Early this morning Mister Redout blew his top in a rather large eruption. In fact, lightning was observed in the initial eruption cloud. Southeasterly winds carried the 50,ooo mile high ash plume in Kodiak's direction just skirting the north end of the archipelago. Above is an image from the puff prediction animation at the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

April Volcanoes Bring...?

Today marks the 25th Anniversary of the Mt. Edgecumbe "eruption." (4/1/1974)

From sitka.com: Residents of Sitka, Alaska were alarmed when the long-dormant volcano neighboring them, Mount Edgecumbe, suddenly began to belch out billows of black smoke. People spilled out of their homes onto the streets to gaze up at the volcano, terrified that it was active again and might soon erupt. Luckily it turned out that man, not nature, was responsible for the smoke. A local practical joker named Porky Bickar had flown hundreds of old tires into the volcano's crater and then lit them on fire, all in a (successful) attempt to fool the city dwellers into believing that the volcano was stirring to life. According to local legend, when Mount St. Helens erupted six years later, a Sitka resident wrote to Bickar to tell him, "This time you've gone too far!" Read the whole story here.

Blizzards and Volcanoes

We were under a blizzard warning yesterday afternoon-a total of twenty inches have fallen from this storm! Bruce got a call last night that his office would not be opening, but I still planned to go in to work...at least until we woke up and saw 5 cars stranded in the snow on our road. It's now 4PM and the plows have not made it to Shahafka Circle, yet. The forecast calls for more snow overnight and flood warnings for tomorrow when all this powder starts to melt. At least the Redoubt ash hasn't blown our way!

Bruce and I headed out the front door for a "ski to the sea." It was the first time we've been able to ski out from the house-it felt like life on the farm in Wisconsin!

We made our way around the multitude of stranded vehicles to Island Lake. We skied over the river and through the woods to Fort Abercrombie, which was deserted.

Trail's end.

The road out towards Bell's Flats was closed this morning due to an avalanche. A large shipping container also blew up from the lot where it was sitting and across the road during last night's storm. We ran into a friend on our ski who was working to get shoveled out so that he could head down to the harbor to check on his boat-there were reports of boats sinking in their slips due to the snow accumulation.

Below is a great shot from the Anchorage Daily News. Mount Redoubt erupted 5 times late Sunday/early Monday. Thus far, the prevailing winds have sent the ash fall to the east, well away from Kodiak.

So, if the floods, the snow and the ash don't get us, we might survive springtime in Kodiak!