Nighttime images from a live video camera operated by the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI) at the Turrialba Volcano are showing an incandescent glow, meaning lava or other incandescent material is present in the volcano's eruptions.
Juan Santamaría International Airport reopened around 11:30 a.m. Friday after a nearly 18-hour closure. Authorities warned that the reopening could be temporary, depending on future activity at Turrialba Volcano.
UPDATED at 7 p.m.: Juan Santamaría International Airport will remain closed until at least 8 a.m. Friday. Airport spokeswoman Silvia Chávez said that reopening was conditional on overnight activity at Turrialba Volcano.
A column of ash rose as high as three kilometers above the volcano, which is about 2,800 meters high. About 45 families were stranded in one community after a swollen river washed out a bridge.
A Yellow Alert is still in effect for the cantons of Turrialba and Alvarado, according to a statement from the National Emergency Commission on Tuesday. National Seismological Network volcanologist Carlos Ramírez told The Tico Times that twice as much ash fell in the eruption at 9:24 p.m. Monday than during the Oct. 29 and 30 eruptions.
Costa Rica's Agriculture and Livestock Minister Luis Felipe Arauz confirmed Thursday morning that crops of carrots, cabbage, onions, cauliflower and potatoes grown north of the province of Cartago “have not been severely affected by the Turrialba Volcano’s activity.”
An agricultural area larger than 228 football fields has been affected by volcanic eruptions in Costa Rica that began on Oct. 29, according to Felipe Arguedas, an official at the Agriculture and Livestock Ministry. As farmers wait to see how much of their crop is salvageable, the Turrialba Volcano's relative calm continues.
The Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica on Monday launched a new online tool for users to track the trajectory of ash expelled by the Turrialba Volcano.
