An active volcano in Mexico sent plumes of ash more than 20,000 feet into the air this week as it emitted volcanic gas and water vapor.
Dozens of volcanos are erupting simultaneously worldwide, including Popocatépetl 40 miles southeast of Mexico City. The volcano’s name translates to “smoking mountain.” Popocatépetl is one of Mexico’s most active volcanos and has been erupting continuously for nearly two decades.
The volcano’s alert level is at Yellow, Phase Two, which signifies that Mexico’s National Center for the Prevention of Disasters (CENAPRED) remains attentive to the state of the volcano and is preparing for a possible evacuation if volcanic activity intensifies. The phase two alert is activated when the volcano exhibits a change in its activity, such as exhaling water vapors or gas plumes or causing light ashfall.
CENAPRED is monitoring the eruption and issued an update about the state of the volcano on Wednesday. The report said that a “constant emission of water vapor, volcanic gases and ash” has been observing pouring from the volcano and dispersing to the southwest. Ash plumed so high that it could be seen from space, according to social media account Zoom Earth.
“Today’s eruption of #Popocatépetl as seen from space,” the account posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday afternoon. A time-lapse video accompanying the post showed a steady plume of ash pouring from the volcano over a span of several hours.