The cloud of ash caused by the eruption of a volcano in Iceland is forecast to spread south towards London today, adding to disruption of flights across the country.
The Met Office ash cloud forecast for 6pm local time on Thursday 15 April, issued at 6.35am. The area inside the red line is affected by volcanic ash.
A set of charts issued by the Met Office shows how the cloud is set to drift southwards across Britain, mostly at three and three-quarter miles (6km) above ground.
The maps show the estimated location of the ash cloud at 6pm and midnight tonight.
The red areas show the risk of ash at lower levels between ground and 20,000ft - marked in "flight levels" as FL200 - while green areas show the risk of ash between 20,000ft and 35,000ft - marked as FL200/FL350.
Blue areas show the cloud between 35,000ft and 55,000ft - marked as FL350/FL550.
The spread of all three layers over southern England suggests even more disruption to flights is expected later today, as controllers extend air space closures, currently affecting every UK air traffic 'sector' north of London.
A spokesman for the Met Office said it was not immediately clear how long the flight disruption could be expected to last.
He added that the cloud was thinly dispersed at high altitudes and that there was little risk of Britain being dusted with ash, although it is possible many will enjoy a bright red sunset.
Hundreds of flights have already been cancelled at airports in Scotland and northern England, and air traffic controllers in Brussels in charge of strategic management of flights across Europe have issued warnings to pilots that many flights into Britain can expect to be diverted to other countries or cancelled.
Flights in Norway and other parts of northern Europe have also been disrupted.
Volcanic ash is extremely dangerous in airspace, as it causes engines to malfunction, restricts vision and even cause severe damage to the metal 'skin' of the aircraft.
Because of the threat to aviation, a global early warning system, known as theInternational Airways Volcano Watch, has been established. Iceland is considered as particularly vulnerable to volcanic disruption.
Authorities on Tuesday evacuated 800 residents from around the Eyjafjallajokull glacier as water gushed down the mountainside and rivers rose by up to 10 feet (3 meters).
The Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted for the first time in 200 years on March 20, in a dramatic display that sent fountains of lava spewing into the air.
The first eruption did not trigger any major flooding, as was initially feared, because the active vents were in a mainly ice-free part of the volcano.
But Tuesday's eruption came from a different vent beneath a 650-ft (200m) thick block of ice, unleashing a torrent of glacial meltwater.
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