Ethiopia volcanic eruption: Ash cloud to clear India by 7:30 pm, says IMD

The ash clouds from the volcanic eruption in Ethiopia are set to drift towards China after moving away from India by 7:30 pm on Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The ash plumes, that resulted from the eruption of the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia, disrupted several flights across India on Monday and Tuesday

According to IMD forecast, ash will fly over Gujarat, Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday,

The Hayli Gubbi volcano erupted after 12,000 years and produced a massive ash plume that rose to around 14 kilometers in the sky.

The cloud moved eastward across the Red Sea and into the Arabian peninsula and the Indian subcontinent.

"High-level winds carried the ash cloud from Ethiopia across the Red Sea to Yemen and Oman and further over the Arabian Sea towards western and northern India," the IMD said in a statement.

The weather department closely monitored satellite imagery, advisories from Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) and dispersion models.

Several flights have been canceled following IMD's Met Watch Offices in Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata issuing ICAO-standard Significant Meteorological Information (SIGMET) warnings to airports.

These advisories included directions to avoid affected airspace and flight levels identified in the VAAC bulletins.

The IMD said continuous monitoring of MET and ash advisories is used for flight planning, including adjustments to routing and fuel calculations based on alternate paths.

(With PTI inputs)