Overview
- Kīlauea’s summit, which erupted Tuesday night, began episode 52 with sustained fountaining from the north vent that lasted more than seven hours and ended early Wednesday morning.
- Volcano Observatory measurements showed fountains reached about 500 feet, effusion peaked near 350 cubic yards per second, and roughly 6.1 million cubic yards of lava covered up to half of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor.
- USGS/HVO raised operational alerts during the event — moving the summit status from Advisory to Watch and the Aviation Color Code to Orange — and returned the volcano to an overall Code Yellow after the episode ended.
- Officials said all lava and flows remained confined to Halemaʻumaʻu within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, but ash, Pele’s Hair and sulfur dioxide can be carried downwind and cause respiratory and nuisance impacts in communities such as Pāhala and Nāʻālehu.
- The episode fits the ongoing pattern since December 2024 of short, frequent summit eruptions driven by rapidly refilling magma reservoirs and underscores the need for continued monitoring and park closures near the crater.