Shiveluch on Kamtchatka erupts

On Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, Shiveluch continues to be active, ejecting high rising ash clouds associated with the generation of pyroclastic flows. According to the Tokyo VAAC, volcanic ash reached an altitude of 9,500 m this morning and is spreading over a large area to the southeast of the volcano. It is very likely that further ash precipitation will occur in the village of Kljutschi, where heavy ash precipitation already occurred after the initial ignition of the volcano, covering the entire village with a brown layer of ash, causing massive problems and bringing public life to a standstill. In the meantime, it is said to be up to 20 cm thick. It must be removed from house roofs as soon as possible, because when it gets wet, the ash turns into a layer that weighs tons and can cause roofs to collapse. Since it is still winter on Kamchatka, precipitation will first fall as snow, which can be removed along with the ash. With the onset of snowmelt, however, lahars may then form on the volcano.