NASA's satellite images of ash plumes; Animation of SO2 emissions travelling from Iceland to Europe

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to supplement Commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe winter storms and snowstorms during the period of February 5-11, 2010. IATA says volcanic ash from Iceland is costing airlines $200 million a day. Earthquake death toll tops 1,100 in China. 17,000 flights to be cancelled today across Europe. A 4.9 magnitude quake shook Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho on Thursday. Del Rio, TX, recorded its wettest April day on record Thursday with 3.19 inches. The old record.. 2.94 inches set in 1969. A small earthquake was recorded in SE Oklahoma yesterday. All London airports are to close due to volcanic ash. A huge fireball was observed in six Midwestern states shortly after 10pm Wednesday evening. The death toll is climbing after tornado hammers eastern Indian villages. Hundreds evacuate from a volcano in Iceland early on Wednesday. A 6.9 magnitude earthquake shakes the western province of China killing hundreds and injuring thousands. A 75-ft tsunami has struck a town in west Peru after a glacier broke off and plunged into a lake on Monday. Dense fog is a possible factor that led to a plane crash that killed the Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others. Severe Weather Reports: 86 mph winds has pushed an unsecured aircraft into a fence in Latrobe, PA.

Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Iceland could force airlines to cancel flight until Monday. (Photo courtesy of Orvaratli)

Air travelers in Europe face delays and cancellations at least into Saturday because of the huge plume cloud from a volcano in Iceland.

The ash cloud from the volcano drifted east, affecting air traffic across Europe.

Fearing that microscopic particles of highly abrasive hash known as silica could endanger passengers by causing aircraft engines to fail, authorities have shut down air space over Britain, Ireland, France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Belgium. This has halted flights at Europe's two busiest airports. IATA says volcanic ash from Iceland is costing airlines $200 million a day.

The volcano had been dormant for about 200 years until an eruption last month but Wednesday's event was much larger. The eruption of a volcano at the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier has created a plume of ash and debris about 7 miles high. NASA was able to detect the plumes.

Animation of the SO2 emissions from the Icelandic eruption

The MODIS instrument on NASA's Terra satellite captured an Ash plume from Eyjafjallajokull Volcano over the North Atlantic at 11:35 UTC (7:35 a.m. EDT) on April 15, 2010.

Sources: AP, Reuters, NASA