An alert degree was raised on Sunday for a volcano in Central Mexico that was spewing ash and smoke, prompting officers to shut colleges and public parks, and to arrange for the opportunity of evacuations.

The Nationwide Catastrophe Prevention Middle of Mexico mentioned on Sunday that the alert degree was being raised to what’s generally known as Section 3, which is simply shy of an evacuation order, for the world across the volcano, Popocatépetl, within the central area of the nation.

Laura Velázquez Alzúa, the top of the middle, mentioned at a information convention on Sunday that when an alert degree is raised to Section 3, it’s potential for a volcano to provide gentle to reasonable explosions that may hurl fragments of rock, trigger ash to fall in surrounding areas, and disrupt air journey. The expulsion of magma can also be potential, the middle mentioned.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico mentioned at a information convention on Monday morning that he was in touch with federal and native officers in regards to the volcano, including that it was being monitored consistently.

“We’re standing by,” Mr. López Obrador mentioned in Spanish.

The catastrophe prevention middle mentioned that authorities within the space surrounding Popocatépetl had been getting ready evacuation groups and shelters, and that native and state officers had been additionally planning to tour evacuation routes on Monday.

“We must be completely positive that our evacuation routes and indicators are appropriate,” Ms. Velázquez Alzúa mentioned.

Popocatépetl (pronounced poh-poh-kah-TEH-peh-til), typically known as a god of rain or the group’s heartbeat, was quiet for many years earlier than it grew to become energetic within the Nineties. In 2000, a significant eruption prompted the evacuation of about 50,000 individuals from the area. Since then, gentle to reasonable exercise from the volcano has prompted officers to often elevate alert ranges.

It was unclear on Monday how lengthy this era of raised volcanic exercise would proceed.

Jessica Ball, a volcanologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, mentioned it’s regular for energetic volcanoes, equivalent to Popocatépetl, to undergo cycles of elevated exercise.

“That’s just about simply a part of being an energetic volcano,” she mentioned. “There’s actually no cycle on a human time scale that governs which volcanoes erupt at which era.”

A time-lapse video that the middle shared on social media on Monday confirmed the volcano spewing smoke and ashes within the early morning.

On Monday afternoon, officers suspended operations at Hermanos Serdán Worldwide Airport, a small facility in Puebla, due to ash on the runways.

Officers mentioned at a information convention on Sunday that the state of Puebla, which features a portion of the volcano, had arrange 35 shelters with house for as much as 22,000 individuals if evacuations had been wanted.

Puebla state officers additionally mentioned on Sunday that, to reduce the danger of publicity to falling ash, a number of public parks within the space can be closed and colleges would maintain courses nearly in the interim.

The Nationwide Catastrophe Prevention Middle urged residents who dwell close to the volcano to keep away from going outside as a lot as potential. Those that do go outdoors ought to put on a face masks or cowl their nostril and mouth with a handkerchief, the middle mentioned.

In areas the place ash was accumulating, the middle mentioned residents ought to cowl water containers to keep away from contamination, and sweep the ash and gather it in luggage.

The volcano alert degree was raised a day after Popocatépetl prompted ash to fall from the sky, prompting the momentary closure on Saturday of the 2 important airports serving Mexico Metropolis, about 55 miles northwest of the volcano.

Volcanic ash is especially harmful to plane, based on the U.S.G.S. Falling ash can intervene with airplane radio transmission and navigation methods, it will possibly block gas nozzles and it will possibly create harmful situations on runways that may result in braking points.