The Mexican Centro Nacional de Prevención de Desastres (CENAPRED) reported in a bulletin issued at 11:00 local time 22 February 2008 (05:00 GMT 23 February 2008) that significant explosive activity took place at Popocatépetl on the afternoon of 22 February:

At 13:18 yesterday there were episodes of harmonic tremor of moderate amplitude, with a total duration of about an hour. Then at 20:11 an explosive eruption of ash to an altitude of approximately 2km was recorded, hurling incandescent blocks across the south-eastern flank of the volcano to an estimated distance of 2.5km.

CENAPRED is maintaining a warning level of ‘yellow’ for Popocatépetl, and the 12km exclusion zone around the volcano remains in place.

Information
Global Volcanism Program - summary information for Popocatépetl (1401-09=)
CENAPRED - monitoreo volcánico

News
Emite Popocatépetl 18 exhalaciones en 24 horas - El Universal, 19 February 2008 (Spanish)
Registra volcán Popocatépetl 22 exhalaciones - Milenio.com, 18 February 2008 (Spanish)

The Centro Nacional de Prevención de Desastres, Mexico (CENAPRED) reported that over the previous 24 hours the Popocatépetl monitoring system recorded 36 exhalations of low intensity, accompanied by emissions of steam, gas and small quantities of ash. This is an increase over the levels of the preceding 24 hours, and continues the trend of a steady rise in such activity over the last 15 days. There have been no significant changes in any other parameters, and the warning level for Popocatépetl remains yellow.

Information
Global Volcanism Program - summary information for Popocatépetl (1401-09=)
CENAPRED - volcano monitoring page: latest reports here (English versions here), archived reports here 

News
Mexican Volcano Becoming Active - Prensa Latina (Cuba), 9 January 2008

On 5 January 2008 the Centro Nacional de Prevención de Desastres (CENAPRED) in Mexico reported low-intensity eruptions of steam and gas from Popocatépetl (latest reports available here in Spanish, and here in English). The eruption column began to rise at 12:00 local time (17:00 GMT) and reached an altitude of 8km, the highest for seven years from the volcano, according to an Agence France Press report.

The alert status for Popocatépetl remains yellow, and CENAPRED expects further low-level activity over ‘the next few hours, days or weeks’.

Information
Global Volcanism Program - summary information for Popocatépetl (1401-09=)
CENAPRED - monitoreo volcánico

News
Spectaculaire éruption de vapeur du volcan Popocatepetl - AFP report on Cyberpresse.ca, 5 January 2008 (French)
Volcán Popocatépetl lanza fumarola de 8 km de altura - the AFP report in Spanish, via El Comercio (Ecuador), 5 January 2008 (Spanish)

Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico began erupting on Saturday 1 December 2007. The activity began at 12:20 GMT (06:20 local time), with six eruptions occurring over the following 24 hours according to the Mexican Centro Nacional de Prevención de Desastres (CENAPRED), and the eruption column reaching an altitude of 2km. Some ash fell in areas of Mexico City. At 17:00 GMT (11:00 local time) on 4 December CENAPRED issued a bulletin reporting seven small eruptions over the preceding 24 hours accompanied by steam and gas emissions. The alert status at Popocatépetl remains at yellow.

Information
Global Volcanism Program - summary information for Popocatépetl (1401-09=)
CENAPRED - monitoreo volcánico

News reports
Mexico’s ‘Popo’ volcano erupts, spitting out ash and steam; no injuries - The Canadian Press (1 Dec 2007)
Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano erupts - People’s Daily Online (2 Dec 2007)
Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano erupts - Mongobay.com (3 Dec 2007)