Kīlauea is bringing the heat — and tephra — again, prompting temporary park and highway closures on Hawai‘i Island.
Episode 44 of the ongoing eruption began at 11:10 a.m. Thursday, April 9.
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park said in a social media post that the park is closed at its entrance due to hazardous volcanic material and gas associated with the latest eruptive episode.
Rangers evacuating the area reported that chunks of tephra — volcanic fragments including ash, pumice, Pele hair and reticulite — the size of softballs were falling at the Kīlauea Overlook at Kīlauea Military Camp around noon, the post noted.
A portion of Highway 11 near HVNP, between mile markers 25.5 and 40 on either side of the park, has also been closed. The closure was made in coordination between the state Department of Transportation, HVPN, Hawai‘i County Civil Defense and Hawai‘i Police Department in "anticipation of hazards from falling volcanic tephra," according to an announcement from Hawai‘i County Thursday.
In an update posted at 12:36 p.m., the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said lava fountains were, at the time, reaching about 625 feet above ground level.
The HVNP website says that overnight guests of Volcano House and Kīlauea Military Camp may enter and shelter in place. The Kahuku unit is open but can only be accessed past mile marker 40.
An ash fall warning is in effect until midnight for interior, east and southeast areas of the Big Island, and the National Weather Service in Honolulu says the public "may be impacted by substantial tephra fall."
"Varying levels of ash, Pele's hair and other lightweight tephra may fall downwind of the eruption," the NWS notes. "Large foam-like tephra up to football size may fall near the summit and up to several miles downwind. Small particles are eye and respiratory irritants. Larger lightweight tephra are not usually harmful on impact, but they can reduce visibility, create hazardous driving conditions and need localized clean-up. This lightweight material does not pose a roof-collapse risk."
You can report tephra fall here.
Kīlauea has been erupting intermittently since Dec. 23, 2024, from two vents in Halema‘uma‘u crater within the summit caldera.
Episode 43, which started and ended on March 10, saw lava fountains reach 1,770 feet high, a record for this eruption, the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says.
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 park last week announced it was readying for the new eruptive episode.
HVNP said then that visitation and traffic soar during eruptions, but the park also anticipated that participants of the Merrie Monarch Festival would visit Kīlauea this week. The annual hula competition is underway in Hilo through Saturday, April 11.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
