Episode 54 of ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption at Kīlauea begins with overflow from north vent

Precursory low-level eruptive activity before episode 54 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began around 6:16 a.m. HST on Aug. 25, with overflows from the north vent. This activity was preceded by the onset of weak spattering from the north vent around 7:30 p.m. HST Monday evening, Aug. 24.  

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports this was marked by the onset of strong, rhythmic gas pistoning spikes in tremor recorded every 5-10 minutes. Glow from the vents continued to increase until after midnight, spattering from the north vent become nearly continuous, according to the HVO.

The HVO is raising the Alert Level for Kīlauea from ADVISORY to WATCH and the Aviation Color Code from YELLOW to ORANGE.

HVO scientists say this low-level precursory activity can continue for hours to days before the lava fountaining episode beings. The forecast for episode 54 of lava fountaining to start is between Aug. 25-26, with the onset most likely in the next 12 hours.

• All eruptive vents and lava flows are confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Tephra fall from volcanic ash clouds is greatest within 3 miles of the vents, lighter ash and Pele’s Hair may stay suspended for large distances from the vents.
• Three Kīlauea summit livestream videos that show eruptive lava fountains are available here: https://youtube.com/@usgs/streams . KPcam and MKcam provide views of the plume height for aviation purposes
• Timeline of eruptive episodes since Dec. 23, 2024: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/eruption-information