Volcano: Katmai (VNUM #312170)
Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN
Issued: Monday, March 9, 2026, 9:15 AM AKDT
Source: Alaska Volcano Observatory
Notice Number: 2026/A158
Location: N 58 deg 16 min W 154 deg 57 min
Elevation: 6716 ft (2047 m)
Area: Alaska Peninsula
Volcanic Activity Summary:
Strong northwesterly winds in the vicinity of Katmai and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes have picked up loose volcanic ash erupted during the 1912 Novarupta-Katmai eruption and are carrying it to the southeast. The National Weather Service has issued a SIGMET for this low-level event and suggests that the maximum cloud height is 6,000 ft (1.8 km) above sea level.
This phenomenon is not the result of recent volcanic activity and occurs during times of high winds and dry snow-free conditions in the Katmai area and other young volcanic areas of Alaska. No eruption is in progress. All of the volcanoes of the Katmai area (Griggs, Katmai, Novarupta, Mageik, Martin, Snowy and Trident) remain at Aviation Color Code GREEN and Alert Level NORMAL. Resuspended volcanic ash should be considered hazardous and could be damaging to aircraft and health.
For more information on volcanic ash and human health, visit the following website: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/
Official warnings about these ash resuspension events are issued by the National Weather Service: https://www.weather.gov/aawu
Forecasts of airborne ash hazard to aircraft: https://www.weather.gov/aawu/. Volcanic Ash Advisories: https://www.weather.gov/vaac/
Forecasts of ashfall: http://www.weather.gov/afc
Air quality hazards and guidance from Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Air Quality: http://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/Air/airtoolsweb/Advisories/Index
Contacts:
Chris Waythomas, Acting Scientist-in-Charge, USGS cwaythomas@usgs.gov (907) 786-7497
David Fee, Coordinating Scientist, UAFGI dfee1@alaska.edu (907) 378-5460
Next Notice:
If conditions change significantly.
Contact AVO: https://avo.alaska.edu/contact
The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.
VOLCANO OBSERVATORY NOTICE FOR AVIATION (VONA)
WMAK01 PAVO 091715 VONA DTG: 20260309/1715Z VOLCANO: KATMAI 312170 PSN: N5817 W15457 AREA: ALASKA SOURCE ELEV: 6716FT AMSL NOTICE NR: 2026/01 CURRENT COLOUR CODE: GREEN PREVIOUS COLOUR CODE: GREEN SVO: ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY ACT STS: RE-SUSPENDED VA ONSET: NIL DUR: NIL VA CLD HGT: 6000FT AMSL HGT SOURCE: SIGMET MOV: SE CTC: AVO DUTY SCIENTIST TEL +1-907-786-7497 RMK: NO ERUPTION. RESUSPENDED VA FROM GND LEVEL ONLY. SEE SIGMET FOR MORE INFO. NXT NOTICE: A NEW VONA WILL BE ISSUED IF COND CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY OR IF THE COLOR CODE CHANGES NNNN
Hazard Notification System (HANS) for Volcanoes at volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans2/