Alaska Volcano Erupts Anew; Ash Pall No Match for Yule Shoppers’ True Grit

Redoubt Volcano continued to spew ash and steam over much of south-central Alaska, and one family was evacuated Sunday from a lodge in the shadow of the mountain.

The 10,197-foot volcano 110 miles southwest of Anchorage, which exploded Thursday, erupted with greater force Sunday afternoon, the U.S Geological Survey said. An airline pilot spotted the ash plume at 27,000 feet, drifting northeastward toward Alaska’s most populous area.

Haze from the volcano on Saturday drifted over Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city with more than 200,000 people. The debris caused power outages, disrupted air travel and triggered public-health warnings.

The ash pall and broadcast advisories against unnecessary driving and outdoor activity did little, however, to deter Christmas shoppers from filling the streets and malls of Anchorage over the weekend.

Shortly before the renewed eruption Sunday, pilots with Alaska Helicopters Inc. helped to move Nancy Jones, her husband and 2-year-old son from Tuwalaka Lodge, 10 miles south of the volcano. For two days, ash clouds and poor weather had stymied efforts to reach the Joneses, who are caretakers at the lodge.

The family was taken to Drift River, a petroleum facility 20 miles southwest of the lodge, said Byron Wallace of Alaska Helicopters.

Pilots reported seeing the volcanic ash as far south as Oregon, and it was expected to reach California and Arizona skies by today.

High winds captured lighter ash particles and held them for the journey across the United States, National Weather Service meteorologist Elliott Barkse said.

Pilots’ sightings of ash above the Pacific Northwest were consistent with wind patterns that would carry the airborne debris on curving, long-distance flights over southeast Alaska to British Columbia, on to Washington and then over numerous other states, according to Federal Aviation Administration and weather service reports.

“Eventually, it’s going to fall, but no one’s going to notice it,” Barkse said. “It probably won’t be noticed by anybody. The real fine stuff will go around the world. It doesn’t come down. It just keeps on going.”

Alaska Volcano Observatory geologist Steve Brantley said that two other pilots reported a strong odor of sulfur at altitudes between 15,000 and 19,000 feet, about 25 miles west of Anchorage.

“The earthquake activity at the mountain continues at significant levels and does not show a trend toward increasing or decreasing strength, or vigor,” he said.

The Anchorage International Airport was open Sunday, but service remained spotty, with some airlines grounded and others offering only limited service. Some businesses placed covers over sensitive equipment in case the ash seeped into buildings.

A snowstorm was approaching, with winds blowing toward Anchorage. That could bring more ash, or ash mixed with snow, back to the city.

The ash darkened the sky over Anchorage at a time when daylight is in short supply. The city is so far north that it gets only about 5 1/2 hours of light each day at this time of year.