Europe 1 1:29 p.m., September 24, 2021
The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on Sunday in the Canaries resulted in the formation of a cloud of ash and gas that is moving and has just reached the south of France.
Pascal Boureau, former forecaster at Météo France, however wanted to reassure Europe 1: this cloud does not present any risk.
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It was the first eruption since 1971 on the island of La Palma, in the Spanish Canary Islands archipelago. On Sunday, the Cumbre Vieja volcano began to spew lava and ash, causing extensive damage and evacuations. Now, a cloud is moving in the direction of the south of France, without posing any danger to the health of residents or to air traffic.
"The cloud is around 5,000 meters above sea level", specifies at the microphone of Europe 1 Pascal Boureau, former forecaster at Météo France.
"It is detected between the Pyrenees and Roussillon with a displacement towards the whole of Occitania and the Mediterranean rim in the coming hours."
It should then "continue its movement towards the east" and, when the wind will change from Saturday evening, "there will be no overflight of our territory at all".
"No anomaly in the atmosphere"
The cloud formed 3,000 km from France.
"It contains some gases from the volcanic eruption, in particular sulfur dioxide, but in a very diluted way", reassures Pascal Boureau.
"And given the distance and the altitude, there is no risk of fallout on French soil."
While rains fell, there was also "no detection of anomaly in the measurements of the atmosphere," says the specialist.
There is also no danger for air traffic.
While everyone keeps in mind the paralysis caused in 2010 by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjöll, this time "no measures" were taken because "the quantities of ash released into the atmosphere are very low", explains Pascal Boureau.