The volcano on Anatahan Island (Northern Marianas Islands, just north of Saipan) erupted at about 3:00 am this morning, sending a spew of ash into the sky. At 7:15, going to school, we noticed that the sky was overcast to the north. As the morning progressed, it got darker and darker. At a little after 10, it went almost black. They let out the schools at about 11, not knowing when the ash would start falling. We have had some ash, but just enough to sting the eyes and make everything gritty. Most of the plume is at about 50,000 feet.