Kīlauea volcano is erupting within Halemaʻumaʻu crater in the summit caldera. As of 6:30 a.m. HST, the eruption has stabilized within the crater and there are no immediate threats to infrastructure. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is lowering Kīlauea's volcano alert level from WARNING to WATCH and its aviation color code from RED to ORANGE.
The ongoing eruption of Kīlauea is occurring within a closed area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. The eruption began at approximately 2:20 a.m., and vents are continuing to erupt on the floor of the southwest part of the summit caldera. The primary hazard of concern at this time is high levels of volcanic gas which can have far-reaching effects down-wind (generally southwest) of the summit. The plume of volcanic gas and fine volcanic particles is reaching elevations of 6,000-8,000 feet above sea level (2,000-4,000 feet above ground level) and winds are transporting it to the southwest, within the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
At 4:30 a.m., lava fountains were observed with heights up to 80 meters (262 feet). Molten material, including lava bombs, is being ejected from the vents on the caldera floor up onto the west caldera rim, within the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The volcanic gas and ejecta hazards west of the erupting vents stress the hazardous nature of this closed area of Kīlauea's summit. By 5:30 a.m., lava covered an estimated area of 400 acres of the caldera floor.
Eruptive activity is currently confined to the summit region. No significant changes have been observed in the rift zones.
A livestream of Kīlauea summit available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPniOEVuZnQ
Other Kīlauea webcams are available here: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/webcams
HVO is in close contact with Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and the Hawai'i County Civil Defense Agency. Please see the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm.
HVO will continue to closely monitor Kīlauea and adjust the alert level/aviation color code accordingly. Should volcanic activity change significantly, a new Volcanic Activity Notice will be issued. Hazards are present on Kīlauea and are described below.
For more information about the meaning of volcano alert levels and aviation color codes, see https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanic-alert-levels-characterize-conditions-us-volcanoes
The eruption is occurring within a closed area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. High levels of volcanic gas -- primarily water vapor (HO), carbon dioxide (CO), and sulfur dioxide (SO) -- are the primary hazard of concern, as this hazard can have far-reaching effects down-wind. As SO is continuously released from the summit during the eruption, it will react in the atmosphere to create the visible haze known as vog (volcanic smog) downwind of Kīlauea. Vog information can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org/.
Hawaiian lava flows generally advance slowly downslope and are currently confined to Halemaʻumaʻu and the eastern part of Kīlauea caldera. Additional hazards include Pele's hair and other volcanic fragments from the lava fountains that will fall downwind of the fissure vents and land on the ground within a few hundred meters (yards) of the vent (s), or on the rim of the caldera west of the erupting vents. Strong winds may waft lighter particles to greater distances downwind. Residents and visitors should minimize exposure to these volcanic particles, which can cause skin and eye irritation.
Other significant hazards also remain around Kīlauea caldera from Halemaʻumaʻu crater wall instability, ground cracking, and rockfalls that can be enhanced by earthquakes within the area closed to the public. This underscores the extremely hazardous nature of Kīlauea caldera rim surrounding Halemaʻumaʻu crater, an area that has been closed to the public since late 2007.
For discussion of Kīlauea hazards, please see: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/hazards.
Kīlauea updates will be issued daily. Regularly scheduled updates are posted on the HVO website at https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/volcano-updates
Subscribe to these messages: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns2/
Summary of volcanic hazards from eruptions: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/hazards
Recent earthquakes in Hawaiʻi (map and list): https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo
Explanation of Volcano Alert Levels and Aviation Color Codes: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanic-alert-levels-characterize-conditions-us-volcanoes