The level of seismic activity during the night has been high. The low to moderate level broadband tremor recorded by the Gages seismic station since late afternoon has increased slightly and is now being picked up by several stations of the seismic network, including Windy Hill. From about 22:30 on 09 April 1996 to present, small repetitive earthquakes have also been occurring, embedded in the tremor. These small events are detected mainly at the closest seismic stations but during the last several hours, they have been large enough to be barely detected by the Windy Hill seismic station. These events are occurring at a rate of about 4 per minute and are interpreted as possibly indicating a further increase in the rate of dome growth.
The scientists at the MVO remain gravely concerned about the current level of activity at the Soufriere Hills volcano and therefore urge people still living in the evacuated zone to leave immediately. Visits to the evacuated zone should be restricted to those that are absolutely essential. The Tar River, Long Ground and Whites areas are now extremely dangerous, and should not be entered under any circumstances.