Tephra from the latest episode of Kīlauea's eruption has led to the temporary closure of the volcano's summit in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and parts of Highway 11 today.
Episode 43 of the ongoing eruption began at 9:17 a.m. Tuesday with more than a quarter-inch of accumulated tephra and ash, according to the most recent update from U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, published just after noon.
According to HVO, the lava fountains have hit heights of more than 1,300 feet. In an update this afternoon, HVNP said tephra was still falling at 2 p.m.
"Park rangers are evacuating visitors from the summit area of the park," HVNP says. "Overnight guests of Kilauea Military Camp and Volcano House with reservations and identification will be allowed to enter the park but must shelter in place. All trails and outdoor overlooks in the vicinity of the summit are closed."
HVNP will reopen after the eruption ends and the park staff can clear roadways, the update noted, adding that tephra fallout covers road markings and can cause vehicles to skid and slide.
In a message around 3 p.m. Hawai‘i County Civil Defense said that tephra continues to fall in HVNP and the Volcano community, although it has "diminished from earlier levels." According to Civil Defense, Pele's Hair and fine ash are being reported in Hāmākua, Hilo and Puna.
Highway 11 is closed on either side of the park at mile markers 24 and 40.
Kīlauea has been erupting intermittently since Dec. 23, 2024, largely from two vents in Halema‘uma‘u crater within the summit caldera.
An ashfall warning remains in effect for HVNP and areas southeast and southwest of the park until 5 p.m. Tuesday, the National Weather Service in Honolulu said in an update at 1:30 p.m.
Hawai‘i County has opened a shelter at the Kaʻū District Gym, located at 96-1219 Kamani St. in Pāhala, for residents and visitors impacted by the road closure or falling tephra.
You can report tephra fall here.
Episode 41, which ended Jan. 24 after a little more than 8 hours of continuous lava fountaining, also blanketed HVNP and some surrounding Hawai‘i Island communities with tephra and ash. (ICYMI: An estimated 14 million cubic yards of lava erupted during that episode. Here's how much that really is).
The 42nd episode of the ongoing eruption ended on Feb. 15.
In late February, a Hawai‘i man died following an unspecified "incident"" in a closed area on the east side of Kīlauea caldera, but the volcano was not erupting at that time. However, the National Park Service said in an announcement then that, the caldera contains "hazardous terrain, including unstable cliff edges and volcanic features. Visitors are reminded to remain in designated open areas and comply with all closures."
Last June, a 30-year-old Boston man trying to get a closer glimpse of the eruption was rescued by first responders after falling 30 feet from a steep cliff within the park. At that time, the park said that a tree broke the man's fall and kept him from plummeting another 100 feet or so to the caldera floor.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
