Popocatépetl volcano alert: what Yellow Phase 2 and the 12-kilometer exclusion zone mean for visitors

In its daily report of October 27, Mexico's National Disaster Prevention Center (CENAPRED) kept Popocatépetl, the active volcano in central Mexico, on Yellow Phase 2, the middle phase of the yellow alert in its volcanic warning system. CENAPRED urges people not to approach the volcano, and above all its crater, and to check its daily report. In the Puebla and Mexico City metropolitan areas, it says, the volcano's main effect is falling ash. This guide explains the alert, the exclusion zone and the official advice.

The latest readings

CENAPRED monitors Popocatépetl around the clock and posts a daily report on its gob.mx page. Its report of October 27, the latest there when this guide was written, counted 53 exhalations and one volcano-tectonic earthquake in the previous 24 hours, and kept the alert at Yellow Phase 2. The reports for the four days before were similar:

Each of those reports repeats the same warning. CENAPRED tells people not to try to climb the volcano, because explosions throw out incandescent fragments, "como se ha visto recientemente" (as has been seen recently). It tells them to respect the 12-kilometer exclusion radius from the crater, because being inside it is not safe, and, in heavy rain, to keep away from the bottom of ravines because of the danger of mud and debris flows.

What Yellow Phase 2 means

CENAPRED's volcanic alert traffic light (Semáforo de Alerta Volcánica) has three colors. Green means the volcano is calm. Yellow is an alert: people are told to stay attentive and prepare for a possible evacuation. Red is an alarm: there is danger, and families must be ready to evacuate. Yellow and red are divided into phases:

CENAPRED says its monitoring is assessed by the scientific advisory committee of the national civil protection system for Popocatépetl, which also includes specialists from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the University of Colima, and which evaluates the volcano's activity to determine the level of danger.

The 12-kilometer exclusion zone

CENAPRED's exclusion zone is a line on hazard maps that marks how far volcanic material can reach. It is worked out from every hazard that could occur, at its maximum degree, and from the volcano's history. For Popocatépetl it is 12 kilometers from the crater. In an article from February 2023, CENAPRED says being closer than that "puede ser mortal" (can be deadly), because explosions happen unpredictably and throw out solid, incandescent fragments larger than a car, against which no protective equipment helps.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), in its Mexico travel advice last updated on October 20, 2026, and still current on October 30, says: "The volcanoes Popocatépetl and Colima are active and closed to the public. The danger zones around both volcanoes change depending on the current level of activity. There is currently a 7-mile (12km) exclusion zone around Popocatépetl and the alert level is level 2 of the amber tier."

Popocatépetl came back to life in 1994, 56 years after its previous eruptive activity in 1938, CENAPRED says. Early on December 21, 1994, Puebla woke up covered in ash.

Ash and flights

Farther away, ash is the main concern. CENAPRED says that in the metropolitan areas of Puebla and Mexico City, Popocatépetl's main effect is the fall of cold ash. The FCDO warns that "Falling volcanic ash and toxic fumes can affect your health, especially if you suffer from a respiratory condition," and that ash from Popocatépetl "has previously disrupted air travel and caused flight cancellations at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City." It advises checking your flight status with your airline or operator.

If ash is falling where you are, CENAPRED's ash-fall recommendations, published in July 2019 and still on its website, include:

• avoid outdoor activities and, if possible, stay inside with doors and windows closed
• if you have to go out, cover your nose and mouth with a cloth or face mask
• wear glasses rather than contact lenses, to reduce eye irritation
• if you have a respiratory illness, stay indoors and avoid any unnecessary exposure to ash
• do not eat food in the street, and do not drink or cook with water that ash has fallen into
• listen to the radio for reliable information from Civil Protection, and do not repeat or believe rumors

Before you go

• CENAPRED asks people to check its daily report, and the FCDO points travelers to CENAPRED for updates on Popocatépetl, Colima and other volcanoes.
• CENAPRED says to respect the 12-kilometer exclusion radius from the crater and not to try to climb the volcano.
• The FCDO, noting that ash from Popocatépetl has disrupted flights at Mexico City's airport before, advises checking your flight status with your airline or operator.
• CENAPRED says to keep away from the bottom of ravines in heavy rain, because of the danger of mud and debris flows.

Mexico uses a different, five-color alert system for tropical storms and hurricanes, explained in our hurricane season guide.