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Satellite imagery of the La Soufriere volcano eruption and its impacts on atmospheric patterns in the region.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Friday that it does not expect impact to the U.S. Virgin Islands from the La Soufrière volcano eruption in St. Vincent. "Winds are forecast to continue from the northeast with sea breeze variations across the U.S. Virgin Islands throughout the weekend. Under this wind flow, the ash plume from La Soufrière volcano on the island of Saint Vincent in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is not expected to affect the local island," NOAA said in a release. Satellite images (pinkish color) showed the plume of ashes moving eastward, well southeast of the region, into the Atlantic Waters.
The V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency, which also said there were not threats to the USVI as a result of the eruption as of Friday, added that it would continue to monitor the situation "as continued volcanic activity combined with a shift in the wind could possibly affect air quality for residents in the region as well as air and maritime transportation delays."
According to the CANA news service, A third explosive eruption began at La Soufriere on Friday evening, the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) reported.
The latest of the three events that have occurred within a 10-hour period was recorded around 6:35 p.m. It followed one at 2:45 p.m., which came after the first at 8:41 a.m.
All three explosive eruptions have sent thick ash plumes thousands of feet into the sky and resulted in ash falls in parts of the country as well as other islands in the Caribbean.
“As explosive eruptions continue at La Soufriere, volcano ash fall will be a pervasive hazard throughout St Vincent and is expected to reach neighboring islands such as Barbados. Volcanic ash is not necessarily deadly but can lead to respiratory problems and may also impact vehicles and plane engines,” the UWI-SRC team said.
After the first eruption on Friday morning, lead scientist Professor Richard Robertson, put Vincentians on notice that more eruptions would likely follow.
“We won’t be surprised if this continues for the next few days, the next few weeks,” he said.
