Volcano Keeps Europe Grounded

Flight delays may affect 6 million worldwide
By Emily Rauhala,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 16, 2010 5:54 AM CDT
Updated Apr 16, 2010 7:55 AM CDT
Volcano Keeps Europe Grounded
Smoke and steam hangs over the volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland.   (AP Photo/Jon Gustafsson)

That pesky Icelandic volcano with the incredible name—Eyjafjallajokull—continues to ground Europe. More than half of the continent's 28,000 daily flights have been canceled today and disruptions are predicted for at least 24 hours, the Wall Street Journal reports. Up to 6 million people might end up having their travel plans snarled, and the WHO is going so far as to warn people to stay indoors if the ash begins to settle, notes AP.

"You really need two things to happen," a scientist tells CNN in London. "You need the volcano to stop emplacing ash to the altitude that commercial aircraft fly at, 30-35,000 feet, and you then need the upper level winds to blow the ash and disperse it out of the airspace." (More volcano stories.)

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