Poison Gas Cloud Heads For Capital

Sulphur dioxide emissions from the Holuhraun eruption are now blowing southwest, covering parts of Snæfellsnes and the greater Reykjavík area.

The Icelandic Met Office reported that the poisonous gas will be moving west and southwest both today and tomorrow, with small amounts possibly moving over Reykjavík tomorrow afternoon and evening.

The levels of SO2 should not be high enough to do any harm, but small children and those with lung conditions might want to stay indoors. Signs of being affected by SO2 included burning and itching eyes, coughing, and soreness in the windpipe. If you experience any of these symptoms, move indoors, close your windows and turn up your heat.

In related news, Vísir reports that about 105 tremors were recorded near the Bárðarbunga volcano yesterday. The tremors were mostly small, though – only 21 were measured at higher than 3 on the Richter Scale, and the largest one was about a 5.