Global Courant 2023-05-23 07:36:56
The erupting Popocatépetl volcano continued to affect air traffic in Mexico City on Monday after causing weekend flights and delays.
On Monday, AeroMexico, the country’s flag carrier, blamed the springtime eruptions of the 17,887-foot volcano for affecting more than 100 of its flights across that country.
Sergio Salomón, governor of the Mexican state of Puebla, tweeted Monday he held a meeting of his advisers to plan a response to the outbursts, they were allowed to continue during the week.
Activity emanating from the volcano, dubbed “smoking mountain” in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztec people, was spotted by NASA scientists on April 14.
A satellite operated by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey has captured images of part of the volcano’s eruption, and Mexican scientists have detected water vapor, volcanic gases and ash emanating from the volcano, NASA said in two updates earlier this month. .
Researchers have measured plumes as high as 4.5 miles, NASA said. On Monday, the USGS released a computer model forecast that said the area just south of Mexico City could see 10 to 32mm of ash fall by the end of the day.
Popocatépetl’s ash was enough to suspend flights at both of Mexico City’s major airports for about 5 hours on Saturday. Benito Juarez International Airport said ash could block pilots’ vision, hamper radio communications and affect jet engines on passenger planes.
Popocatépetl, who has a sibling, Iztaccíhuatl, about eight miles to the north, has been known by people for huffing and puffing since the 14th century, according to the Smithsonian Institution.
The last series of eruptions dates back to 2005, according to NASA.
