FVXX21 KWBC 291230 VOLCANIC ASH ADVISORY STATEMENT ISSUED 1230 UTC 29 FEB 2000 BY THE WASHINGTON VAAC . TUNGURAHUA 00-254 ECUADOR 0128S 7826W . BACKGROUND: TUNGURAHUA ECUADOR (1502-08) SUMMIT HEIGHT 16480 FT (5023 M) . SOURCES OF INFORMATION: GOES-8 VISIBLE INFRARED AND MULTISPECTRAL IMAGERY. THE GEOPHYSICAL INSTITUTE IN QUITO. 29/1200 UTC AVN MODEL WINDS. . ERUPTION DETAILS: MODERATE EXPLOSION AT 12:44 LOCAL TIME. . DETAILS OF ASH: SATELLITE IMAGERY THRU 29/1145 SHOWS THICK CIRRUS OVER THE VOLCANO DUE TO CONVECTION LOCATED TO THE EAST OF TUNGURAHUA MAKING ASH DETECTION IMPOSSIBLE. THE GEOPHYSICAL INSTITUTE IN QUITO REPORTS THAT THERE WAS A MODERATE EXPLOSION AT 12:44 LOCAL TIME. HOWEVER NO HEIGHT COULD BE ASSESSED DUE TO THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS SURROUNDING TUNGURAHUA. . TRAJECTORY: UPPER AIR PATTERNS SUGGEST ANY ASH UP TO FL200 TO MOVE WEST-SOUTHWEST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS. ASH BETWEEN FL200 TO FL300 WOULD MOVE WEST-SOUTHWEST AT 20 KNOTS. ASH ABOVE FL300 WOULD MOVE WEST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS. . OUTLOOK: SEE SIGMETS. . THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY 29/1830 UTC. REAL TIME SATELLITE IMAGERY ALONG WITH THIS AND OTHER VOLCANIC ASH ADVISORY STATEMENTS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY A MAP DEPICTING ASH LOCATION ARE AVAILABLE AT INTERNET URL ADDRESS http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/washington.html (all lower case except /VAAC/) . PLEASE REFER TO SIGMETS FOR CURRENT WARNINGS. . HUGHES-NOAA/NESDIS/SAB . NNNN