Volcano erupts on Indonesian island of Bali for first time since 1963

A plume of ash and smoke rose from Mount Agung on Tuesday just weeks after the Indonesian island of Bali was evacuated due to fears of an eruption.

The eruption was small with smoke climbing 2,300 feet in the air, according to Reuters. Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation agency has recommended against any activity within 4.6 miles of the volcano.

This is the first eruption of Mount Agung since 1963.

In late September, more than 140,000 evacuated the Indonesian island of Bali due to fears of a major eruption. The volcano’s alert status was raised to a 4, its highest warning level, but was dropped to a 3 in late October when no eruption occurred.

Authorities kept the warning level at a 3 after Tuesday since the eruption was small.

The international airport on the island of Bali remained open following the eruption, although people planning to travel across the region are urged to monitor the situation as a larger eruption may impact travel.

Nearly 30,000 people remain in evacuation camps due to the threat of an eruption, but the number of evacuees may rise if the warning level is raised again.

Winds associated with a tropical disturbance near Bali could impact the direction of the ash and smoke the volcano spews over the next several days.

“This tropical feature should remain weak and disorganized, but with it being so close to Bali, it will influence the low- and mid-level wind pattern over the region with winds generally blowing to the south,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Jordan Root said.

Most of the ash and smoke from Tuesday’s eruption remained lower in the atmosphere, but a larger eruption could send ash and smoke much higher.

“Any thick plumes of ash or smoke that makes it to the upper levels of the atmosphere will be directed to the southeast and could make it to Australia by next week,” Root said.

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