Coast Guard airplane TF-SIF patrolled the eruption site in south Iceland around 5 pm today, spotting clouds of ash and volcanic debris in an altitude of 30,000 feet. There was powerful wind in the area. At 19,000 feet it measured 85-90 knots, which equals 167 kilometers per hour.
The Icelandic Coast Guard. The photo is not directly related to the story. By Páll Stefánsson.
The water level in Markarfljót rose by 50 centimeters at the old bridge across the river at 6 pm. A glacial burst was recorded at the Gígjökull glacial tongue earlier in the day, ruv.is reports.
Farmers at Fljótsdalur, the innermost farm in the Fljótshlíd district, reported that flooding was minimal. More glacial bursts can be expected.
Roads are closed by Fljótsdalur, the old Markarfljót bridge on highway no. 1 and by the villages of Vík and Kirkjubaejarklaustur.
The road between Vík and Kirkjubaejarklaustur was opened at 4 pm today but it remains closed by Hvolsvöllur and Skógar.
It is estimated that repairs of the highway by Markarfljót will be completed tonight or tomorrow morning.
Meetings were held with ambassadors and the undersecretaries of the Icelandic ministries today at the Civil Protection Department’s coordination center in Reykjavík. An information center has been opened in Hvolsvöllur.
Click here to see pictures of the ash cloud and here to learn more about the ash fall and the necessary precautions.
Our special offer for the Iceland Review magazine with eruption photos and coverage. Now you can also buy a unique book with Páll Stefánsson’s photographs of the eruption on Fimmvörduháls.
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