Is this in Alaska's future? A view of the Tungurahua volcano as it erupts as seen from Cotalo, Ecuador on Nov. 30. DOLORES OCHOA/AP Photo
"I made a joke that at this point, we (Oklahoma) can expect a volcano."
After asking an Oklahoma climatologist earlier this month (see the story
here) on what we should expect after everything we had in 2011, that was his first response on what Oklahoma should expect in 2012.
As he said, it was a joke, but elsewhere in the United States, volcanoes are as much a part of people's lives as tornadoes are here.
While Anchorage, Alaska, is camping around 11-degree highs and minus-1 degree lows, 940 miles southwest (Alaska is a bigger state than Texas, keep in mind), cold temperatures are the least of Alaskan's worries.
According to the Associated Press, a volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Islands sent up an ash cloud Thursday that prompted scientists to increase the alert level for commercial aircraft traffic.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory said satellite images at 4:02 a.m. Alaska time showed Cleveland Volcano had spewed ash 15,000 feet into the air in a cloud that moved east-southeast. U.S. Geological Survey scientist-in-charge John Power called it a small explosion.
"It's not expected to cause a disruption to big international air carriers," he said.
However, it was significant enough to raise the alert level from yellow, representing elevated unrest, to orange, representing an increased potential of eruption, or an eruption under way with minor ash emissions or no emissions.
"Potential of eruption?" You mean lava, which in liquid state is 1,300 to 2,200 degrees, is going to be in the same state where other areas are experiencing below-zero lows this time of year?!
Just another way that 2011 is a crazy year for the atmosphere and not just Oklahoma, I guess.
Elsewhere in the non-continental United States, Hawaii is also experiencing its own volcanic event. From the Associated Press:
More than 400 people watched from a Big Island viewing point to marvel at lava flowing into the ocean.
Hawaii County Civil Defense Acting Administrator John Drummond said the lava at Kilauea isn't threatening homes or structures, but steam is blasting from the point where it reaches the sea along the coast within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
On Wednesday, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory released new photos of the lava, which is attracting spectators.
The Kilauea volcano has been continuously erupting since 1983.
Lava from the volcano's Puu Oo vent reached the ocean earlier this month.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports it is the first time since 2007 that lava is entering the ocean within the park. Park visitors can hike about four miles to the site.
No Alaska images yet, but here's some recent volcano images from the AP wire from around the world:
A plume of smoke comes out the Tungurahua volcano after it erupted as seen from Cotalo, Ecuador on Nov. 30. DOLORES OCHOA/AP Photo
A cow wears a cloth to cover its nose and mouth as a protection due to the smoke and ashes erupted from the Tungurahua volcano in Cotalo, Ecuador on Nov. 30. DOLORES OCHOA/AP Photo
An Image Provided by NASA from the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite made Dec. 23 is a natural-color image of the active fissure northwest of the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano caldera in Chile as a plume blows from the fissure toward the west and north. This image shows not just ash but also snow on the volcano surface, including the caldera. AP Photo/NASA
An image provided by NASA made Dec. 23 shows an eruption in the Red Sea that appears to have created a new island. AP Photo/NASA
In this Dec. 27 photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, lava flows in to the ocean at West Ka‘ili‘ili in in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey
--Althea Peterson
