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Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano was erupting in its 43rd episode on Tuesday, prompting warnings from the U.S. Geological Survey and National Weather Service. A Volcanic Activity Notice issued by the USGS at 10:54 a.m. HST Tuesday said the Volcano Alert Level was moved from a “watch” to a “warning,” and that the aviation color warning had been upgraded from “orange” to “red.”According to USGS, a “WARNING” alert level means “a hazardous eruption is imminent, underway, or suspected,” and an aviation color of “red” means an eruption with “significant ash emission is imminent, underway, or suspected.” The aviation code colors of red and orange are focused on whether there is a threat to aviation posed by volcanic ash, USGS’s website states.The National Weather Service on Tuesday also issued an ashfall warning that was to be in effect until 5 p.m. HST on Tuesday.USGS said lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu started at the summit of Kīlauea at 9:17 a.m. HST on Tuesday, was continuing to erupt, and that lava flows have covered about one-third of the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. Kilauea, on Hawaii’s Big Island, has been dazzling residents and visitors for more than a year with an on-and-off eruption that periodically sends fountains of lava soaring into the sky.Like other times, the molten rock was confined within Kilauea’s summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and hasn’t threatened homes or buildings.”Fallout up to football-sized pieces and smaller are reported at overlooks in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, creating hazardous ground conditions,” USGS said in the notice Tuesday.USGS said that the National Weather Service/Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center had reported that the plume from the eruption was reaching 25,000 feet above sea level, and that Ground-level sensors near the eruptive vents indicate that winds are blowing from the south direction, which suggests that volcanic gas emissions and volcanic material may be distributed to the north direction from Halemaʻumaʻu.In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, around 5:50 p.m. ET, USGS said, “Both the south and north vents are currently about 1,300 feet high.” USGS also said small tephra, or small glassy volcanic fragments, up to 1-2 inches, are falling in Volcano Village, and that a light fall of tephra is also reported from the community of Royal Hawaiian Estates at the 24-mile marker on Highway 11, an important route around the island, on either side of the park.In an earlier Facebook post, USGS said Volcano Golf Course housing and Highway 11 were being hit with tephra of up to five inches. In a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory status report issued at 12:17 PM HST on Tuesday, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency announced the closure of Highway 11 between the 24 and 40 mile markers due to “dangerous conditions being created by tephra falling.”NWS, in issuing the ashfall warning Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. HST, called the eruption “significant” and said that there was more than a quarter inch of ashfall accumulation to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and extending to the southeast and southwest. NWS was encouraging people to seal their windows and doors, to protect electronics, to cover air intakes and open water sources, and to avoid driving. NWS encouraged people to remain indoors unless absolutely necessary, and said people should use extreme caution when clearing rooftops of ash. Hawaii County officials also opened a shelter at a district gymnasium for residents and tourists impacted by the road closure or falling tephra. There were no people using the shelter soon after it opened, said Tom Callis, a county spokesperson.A livestream showed two fountains of bright-red lava and smoke. It’s unclear how long the fountaining will last. Some episodes have lasted a few days and others a few hours. USGS said most lava fountaining episodes at Kilauea since Dec. 23, 2024, have continued for a day or less.____The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano was erupting in its 43rd episode on Tuesday, prompting warnings from the U.S. Geological Survey and National Weather Service.
A Volcanic Activity Notice issued by the USGS at 10:54 a.m. HST Tuesday said the Volcano Alert Level was moved from a “watch” to a “warning,” and that the aviation color warning had been upgraded from “orange” to “red.”
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According to USGS, a “WARNING” alert level means “a hazardous eruption is imminent, underway, or suspected,” and an aviation color of “red” means an eruption with “significant ash emission is imminent, underway, or suspected.” The aviation code colors of red and orange are focused on whether there is a threat to aviation posed by volcanic ash, USGS’s website states.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday also issued an ashfall warning that was to be in effect until 5 p.m. HST on Tuesday.
USGS said lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu started at the summit of Kīlauea at 9:17 a.m. HST on Tuesday, was continuing to erupt, and that lava flows have covered about one-third of the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater.
Kilauea, on Hawaii’s Big Island, has been dazzling residents and visitors for more than a year with an on-and-off eruption that periodically sends fountains of lava soaring into the sky.
Like other times, the molten rock was confined within Kilauea’s summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and hasn’t threatened homes or buildings.
“Fallout up to football-sized pieces and smaller are reported at overlooks in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, creating hazardous ground conditions,” USGS said in the notice Tuesday.
USGS said that the National Weather Service/Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center had reported that the plume from the eruption was reaching 25,000 feet above sea level, and that Ground-level sensors near the eruptive vents indicate that winds are blowing from the south direction, which suggests that volcanic gas emissions and volcanic material may be distributed to the north direction from Halemaʻumaʻu.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, around 5:50 p.m. ET, USGS said, “Both the south and north vents are currently about 1,300 feet high.” USGS also said small tephra, or small glassy volcanic fragments, up to 1-2 inches, are falling in Volcano Village, and that a light fall of tephra is also reported from the community of Royal Hawaiian Estates at the 24-mile marker on Highway 11, an important route around the island, on either side of the park.
In an earlier Facebook post, USGS said Volcano Golf Course housing and Highway 11 were being hit with tephra of up to five inches.
In a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory status report issued at 12:17 PM HST on Tuesday, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency announced the closure of Highway 11 between the 24 and 40 mile markers due to “dangerous conditions being created by tephra falling.”
NWS, in issuing the ashfall warning Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. HST, called the eruption “significant” and said that there was more than a quarter inch of ashfall accumulation to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and extending to the southeast and southwest.
NWS was encouraging people to seal their windows and doors, to protect electronics, to cover air intakes and open water sources, and to avoid driving. NWS encouraged people to remain indoors unless absolutely necessary, and said people should use extreme caution when clearing rooftops of ash.
Hawaii County officials also opened a shelter at a district gymnasium for residents and tourists impacted by the road closure or falling tephra. There were no people using the shelter soon after it opened, said Tom Callis, a county spokesperson.
A livestream showed two fountains of bright-red lava and smoke. It’s unclear how long the fountaining will last. Some episodes have lasted a few days and others a few hours. USGS said most lava fountaining episodes at Kilauea since Dec. 23, 2024, have continued for a day or less.
____
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
