Ash cloud spreads as Ethiopian volcano eruption eases

ETHIOPIA - The ash cloud from the erupting Nabro volcano in the northeast African nation of Eritrea is continuing to spread throughout east Africa and the Middle East. Disruption to air traffic is expected to be minimal, however, in comparison to the widespread cancellation of flights during the eruptions of the Grímsvötn (Iceland) and Puyehue (Chile) volcanoes. The latest ash advisory issued by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) in Toulouse, France, is predicting that the ash plume will spread into parts of Eurasia late Tuesday. By midnight the ash plume is expected get caught in a west-to-east jet stream and spread to the skies over parts of Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Central African Republic (CAR), Djibouti, Somalia, Israel, Jordan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Satellite imagery from Modis shows that the level of ash being omitted from the volcano greatly reduced overnight while the level of seismic activity in the region has also diminished. The imagery indicated, however, the presence of ash over Eritrea and neighboring Sudan, Djibouti and Ethopia. Vriable winds in the region have contributed to the spread of the ash plume. Officials in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, expressed hope that rain forecast for late Tuesday would help the ash cloud to dissipate. So far the plume has had a limited effect on air traffic with only a handful of flights cancelled. German airline Lufthansa cancelled a flight out of the Eritrean capital Asmara on Monday and another flight into Addis Ababa. An Emirates flight from Entebbe in Uganda to Ethiopia’s Bole International Airport was also cancelled. Turkish Airlines announced the cancellation of four separate services, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. They included (TK 680/681) Istanbul-Khartoum-Istanbul, (TK 676/677) Istanbul-Addis Ababa-Istanbul, (TK 601/602) Istanbul-Entebbe-Istanbul, (TK 603/604) Istanbul-Nairobi-Dar Es Salaam-Nairobi-Istanbul. –Irish Weather