5 Useful resources to monitor the Bali Agung Volcono ash cloud
These are 5 useful sources if you try to follow what happens with the Agung Volcano and its effects on the Bali Airport.
1. Official Twitter account of the Bali Airport.
This page will post updates when the airport closes and also when it reopens.
29 June 2019.
2. NOTAM or “Notice to Airmen”.
This site lists all the NOTAM for the Bali airport. This site is designed for pilots and airline staff and takes some practice to decode. This is where you can find when the airport closes and for how long. If the airport is open no NOTAM will be listed. Timings here are also UTC and if in Bali you need to add 8 hours.
3. Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
This site has graphics of the current ashcloud and forecasts within the next 6, 12 and 18 hours. The timings are UTC time. This means that if you are in Bali you need to add 8 hours to the timings on the forecasts.
29 June 2018.
4. NASA Worldview.
Daily updated satellite images from the world. If you zoom into Bali you can see the ash plume coming out of the Volcano!
29 June 2018.
5. Indonesian department for Meteorology.
This page has images from the Himawari satellite.
2015 Bali ash cloud from Rinjani volcano
Mount Rinjani is an active volcano on Lombok Island (east of Bali). Rinjani is 3,726 metres tall making it the second highest volcano in Indonesia after Mount Kerinci (3,805m).
The volcano eruption is actually on Mount Barujari which is a “child” volcano of Mount Rinjani. Barujari is a post-caldera cone that is in the Rinjani lake.
Mount Barujari started erupting on Sunday, 25 October 2015, at 10:04am. Below are a series of satellite pictures taken almost daily. On some pictures you can clearly see the ash cloud blowing from east to west direction Bali.
Have a look here at the July 2015 ash cloud satellite images caused by the Raung Volcano.
Bali airport flight disruptions
The volcano ash cloud has been drifting towards Bali causing the Bali airport to close for some time. The longest the Bali airport was closed so far was for 43 hours. This was from 3 November (19:30h) to 5 November (14:30h).
Nearly 700 flights where cancelled during these 43 hours and thousands of passengers were left stranded either in Bali or on the way to Bali.
Bali airport flight status
These were the closing times due to the Bali ash cloud from the Rinjani volcano on Lombok Island.
- 10 November; no issues
- 8 to 9 November; Bali airport closed from 21:45h (8 Nov) to 06:40h (9 Nov).
- 6 & 7 November; no issues.
- 3 to 5 November; Bali airport closed from 19:30h (3 Nov) to 14:30h (5 Nov).
Source; Federal Aviation Administration
Bali ash cloud satellite images
Satellite image 9 November 2015 not available
Satellite image 2 November 2015 not available.
28-31 October : no visible ash clouds
Indonesia has 147 active volcanoes. The last eruption of the Rinjani Volcano was in 2010.
Cover picture by Neils Photography.
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Hi again Ketut,
Do you know if tourists have to pay for overstay because of the volcano?
Thanks
When the Raung Volcano erupted in July the Bali immigration office made an exception and did not charge overstay penalties if your overstay was due to the ash cloud. I expect they will do the same again.
Hi Ketut,
This is great information. I heard today that the airport on Lombok was closed. Can you tell me if this is correct.
Thank you
Hi Lynne, thank you for visiting our blog! Lombok airport was open yesterday (4 Nov) but has closed today (5 Nov) and is expected to be closed until 08:45h tomorrow morning (6 Nov).