Etna lights up again in the night:lava fountain and "black" rain over Catania

The Civil Protection has raised the alert level from "Pre-alarm" to "Alarm".Fontanarossa airport closed due to volcanic ash cloud

by Salvo di Cataldo and Cristina Rossi

PALERMO – Catania woke up from an intense night, with loud explosions and a black rain of ash.It is the effect of the resumption of Etna's activity which from the early hours of the day, around 4am, gave rise to a spectacular lava fountain at the Voragine crater, which was followed, from 9 this morning, by the rise of a column of ash several kilometers high, which then poured over Catania, causing a rain of black dust on the center of the city and also on the area of ​​theairport which it was closed to traffic.In the meantime, given the evolution of the situation, the Civil Protection has raised the alert system from "Pre-alarm" to "Alarm“.

As the bulletins of the'Etna Observatory of the Invg, National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, a strong Strombolian activity from the Voragine crater of Etna, which began during the night, evolved into a lava fountain.The lava fountain is underway this morning and produces a cloud of ash that disperses towards the south-east.The INGV also reports an overflow of lava from the western rim of the Bocca Nuova crater.From a seismic point of view, the average amplitude of the volcanic tremor "has further increased".The sources of the tremor remain in the area of ​​the Voragine crater at approximately three thousand meters above sea level.The amplitude of the infrasonic tremor is increasing.
All this was followed by a rain of lava ash on Catania and the towns on the southern side of Etna.It is the effect of the lava fountain from the Voragine crater, which caused a long and dense column of smoke on the volcano.The roars of Etna can also be heard from Catania.Consequently, lFontanarossa airport closed sectors B2 and B3, due to volcanic ash ending up in the atmosphere.The news is reported Sac, the company that manages the airport.The airport's Crisis Unit therefore ordered the suspension of all arriving and departing flights.Cancellations and diversion of flights to other airports in Sicily are expected.

Finally, the Etnas warning system from the Civil protection went from 'Pre-alarm' to 'Alarm' following the transition from level F1 to F2.