LivingInPatagonia.com

Volcano and Ash Update

Written by Jamie

Volcano Chaiten is continuing to erupt. Ash (ceniza) reached downtown Bariloche last night. Apparently it fell for about 1 and half hours before the wind switched direction. For some lucky reason, we did not receive any ash here in Llao Llao, toque en madera.

Within about 20 minutes of the ash falling, the education secretary decided all schools would be closed today. In addition, all public offices are closed, and all flights to and from Bariloche have been cancelled.

I woke up this morning to sunny skies and not a trace of ash.

One of the local papers reported that some of the pharmacies are raising prices on masks to protect people from the ash. 

The experts warn that since there is no prior history of volcanic activity, they are unsure how long it will last.

So, to sum it up, the ash came and went here in Bariloche, at least for the time being. The local community is hoping it won’t return. If the wind blows from out of the south or southwest, it is more likely to bring more ash this way. The weather forecast looks good for us here as the wind direction is predicted to be more out of the west, then switching from the north this weekend.

Some really good pictures can be found here.

Downtown Bariloche last night, courtesy of El Cordillerano.