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ABC News
13 hours ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupts, spewing hot ash into 10km-high mushroom cloud
One of Indonesia's most active volcanoes has erupted, spewing a tower of hot ash and smoke reaching 10,000 metres high. Local authorities raised volcanic activity alerts to their highest level before Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, in the country's south-central region, began to emit a massive plume of smoke that could be seen from 150 kilometres away. Authorities expanded the danger zone surrounding the volcano — marking where volcanic activity made the area unsafe — to 8 kilometres from the crater. Videos of the eruption that began around 5:30pm local time showed villagers watching as the ashes expanded into a mushroom-shaped ash cloud. Local villager Frans Kino said it was the first time he had seen an eruption this big on the mountain. "It looks like this eruption is quite large. Up there, it must be dark," he said, pointing to where he lived up the hill. Indonesia's Geology Agency said in a written statement that the volcano unleashed 10,000 metres of thick grey clouds on Tuesday afternoon, following significant volcanic activity. It reported 50 deep volcanic earthquakes in 2 hours, compared to the daily average of eight to 10 events. There were no casualties reported but residents were warned to be vigilant about heavy rainfall triggering lava flows in rivers originating from the volcano. A previous eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki in November killed nine people and injured dozens. Lewotobi Laki-Laki — whose name means "male Lewotobi" — is a twin volcano to Lewotobi Perempuan, which translates to "female Lewotobi". The 1,584-metre mountain is on the Flores island of Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province and is just one of the 120 active volcanoes along seismic fault lines in the Pacific Basin known as the "ring of fire". Indonesia is an archipelago of 270 million people with frequent seismic activity. AP
Washington Post
a day ago
- Climate
- Washington Post
Alert raised to the highest level after Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano erupts
LEMBATA, Indonesia — Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano in south-central Indonesia erupted on Tuesday, spewing towering columns of hot ash into the air. Authorities raised the eruption alert to the highest level and expanded the danger zone to 8 kilometers (about 5 miles) from the crater. Indonesia's Geology Agency said in a statement it recorded the volcano unleashing 10,000 meters (about 32,800 feet) of thick grey clouds on Tuesday afternoon, following significant volcanic activities, including 50 in two hours, rather than the usual daily 8 to 10 activities.
Washington Post
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
Why tornado ratings don't always tell the whole story
The National Weather Service has determined that the family of tornadoes that tore through south central Kansas on Sunday night were all rated EF3s on the Enhanced Fujita scale. Five main tornadoes hit over a span of 2 hours, 56 minutes. The scale uses damage as a proxy for tornado strength and ranks tornadoes from a 0 (weakest) to 5 (catastrophic). But because the scale measures damage, it means that even if the swarm of tornadoes likely had stronger winds, perhaps at times approaching 200 mph, the most severe damage was commensurate with winds in the EF3 range. EF3 tornadoes harbor winds of 136 mph to 165 mph.
