Update:
Episode 48 of Kīlauea volcano's ongoing eruption, which got underway before sunrise this morning, ended at 1:37 p.m. Monday after nine hours of continuous fountaining from the north vent, according to an update this afternoon from the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
A spokesperson for Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park told Aloha State Daily in an email Monday that the park doesn't have exact data on how many visitors have viewed each of the 48 eruptive episodes since the eruption began on Dec. 23, 2024, but noted that there's "certainly a correlation in visitation surges during eruptions."
"For many, witnessing an eruption is the pinnacle of visiting Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and a once-in-a-lifetime event," they said. "This current eruptive series is especially magnificent because of towering fountains of lava and fierce plumes of gas and volcanic ash. All of this potent and mesmerizing volcanic activity is happening where it is easily and safely viewed in the heart of the park, at the summit of Kīlauea."
Previously:
The latest episode of Kīlauea volcano's ongoing eruption got underway before sunrise this morning.
Episode 48 began at 4:40 a.m. Monday, June 1, with variable ash and tephra fall reported around the summit region, according to an update posted just after 9 a.m. from the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
"Lava fountains have reached a maximum height of almost 650 feet (200 meters) at their peak and have slowly been dropping through the episode," HVO says. "This episode is currently ongoing and expected to last for several more hours.
"Light to moderate tephra fall has been reported with some public overlooks within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, as well as on Highway 11 near Nāmakanipaio Campground, Volcano village, Mauna Loa Estates, and Ohia Estates."
HVO says that no significant activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.
An ashfall advisory is currently in effect until noon Monday. According to the National Weather Service in Honolulu, varying levels of tephra, including Pele's hair and other lightweight pumice may fall downwind of the eruption.
Kīlauea has been erupting intermittently since Dec. 23, 2024, from two vents in Halema‘uma‘u crater within the summit caldera.
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). Episode 44 in April brought more tephra to the area.
In a social media post on Monday, HVNP urged caution, reminding visitors to stay out of closed areas and away from cliff edges, which are unstable and undercut, among other warnings.
"Serious injuries have occurred in closed areas, and entering closures puts you and park staff at risk," a post on the park's Facebook page reads. "Excellent, safe viewing opportunities are available in open areas."
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."
And 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, a drop that could have been deadly.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
