Kamchatka volcanoes

[SlowModem]

According to the BBC and AP, there's two volcanoes erupting in Russia in the Kamchatka Province (this province is on pacific ocean and fairly close to Alaska).  John may be getting ash clouds soon (I hope not).

[SlowModem]

Jen Burke, a meteorologist with the Alaska Aviation Weather Unit, said ash from the Shiveluch eruption — the larger of the two — was moving across the Bering Sea at a height of 25,000 feet (7,620 meters). That could put it in the path of planes flying between Asia and North America over Alaska.

"Right now it's not a difficult area to avoid because it's north of the Aleutian Islands," Burke said. "Planes could fly south of the Aleutian Islands and be perfectly safe."

She said ash might affect the extreme west coast of Alaska but winds were predicted to push the cloud north.

[Harryca]

Here is another link with more info on the volcanoes.  Click on the Event Description and Situation Update tabs for more details.

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?glide=VA-20101029-28337-RUS