#Pahala

Update: 12 p.m., Aug. 22, 2026 Hawaiian Electric remains focused on repairing damage and restoring power to affected communities as quickly and safely as possible ahead of Tropical Storm Moke. Power has been restored to approximately 2,500 Hawai‘i Island customers since yesterday morning. As of 9 a.m. today, about 8,800 customers remain without power. Estimated […]

Crews with the state Department of Transportation are preparing facilities and working to remove vegetation from streams and saturated hillsides on all islands in preparation for heavy rain forecast with the approach of Tropical Storm Moke.

Lava fountaining episode 51 in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea began around 8:30 a.m. on July 15 and ended abruptly at 4:46 p.m., after 8.3 hours of continuous fountaining from the north vent.

“This earthquake is part of the seismic swarm under the Pāhala area, which has been going on since 2019,” according to the HVO. “Earthquakes in this region have been observed at least as far back as the 1960s.”

Volcano Watch: While eruptions at the summit of Kīlauea most frequently occur within Halemaʻumaʻu, they can occur outside of the modern caldera as well.

A magnitude-4.2 earthquake reported at 11:37 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26, occurred 1 mile northwest of Pāhala on the Island of Hawaiʻi at a depth of 21 miles below sea level. Scientists with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory say the earthquake was part of the ongoing deep swarm beneath Pāhala that began about 7 years ago and is not directly related to volcanic activity.

Volcano Watch: Staff at HVO study volcanic processes and associated hazards in Hawaiʻi, with the emphasis and end goal of protecting life and property. The backbone of the observatory is the monitoring network, consisting of a diverse array of instruments located on the flanks of the volcanoes. These instruments relay data back to the observatory, providing information on the behavior of Hawaiʻi’s active volcanoes.

From Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, 2024, a magma intrusion into Kīlauea’s flank, southwest of the summit caldera, was the focus of attention at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

There is no tsunami expected after a 5.7 magnitude (preliminary 6.3) earthquake reported at 10:07 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024 off the Kaʻū Coast of the Big Island. There were more than 280 “felt reports” within the first hour.

HVO, in collaboration with the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, will begin an investigation this summer to learn more about the nature of these frequent, deep earthquakes beneath the southern part of the Island of Hawaiʻi.

The original purpose of geologic mapping in Hawaiʻi was to understand the distribution of groundwater and soils to support agriculture. But as geologic maps have been developed over time, they’ve provided basic information on how the Hawaiian Islands evolved, the workings of individual volcanoes, and the relative degree of long-term hazards posed.

Kīlauea Volcano is erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is at WATCH. Lava activity is confined to Halemaʻumaʻu with lava erupting from a vent on the northwest side of the crater.

Absentee Walk-in Voting Sites at the Pāhoa Community Center and the Pāhala Community Center will be closed on Wednesday, Aug. 8, due to the threat posed by Hurricane Hector.

The clay was important to the sugar industry, not only as a growing medium, but also as a control on groundwater circulation in the region.

A 4.0 earthquake occurred off the Southeastern flank of Mauna Loa on the Big Island this morning (Sunday October 3, 2010).  The quake occured at 9:39 a.m. at the 19.2 North and 155.5 West coordinated.  Officials with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach say no tsunami is expected, however, some areas may have […]

The USGS recorded a 3.8 magnitude earthquake at 1:01 p.m. on Monday, January 18, 2010 on the Southeastern Flank of Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. The epicenter of the quake was 3 miles WNW of Pahala, 12 miles NNE of Naaleahu, 18 miles ENE of Hawaiian Ocean View, 44 miles SW from […]

The state board of education will consider today the closure of five public libraries including the public library in the remote East Maui community of Hana. The proposed closures were raised by the Hawaii State Public Library System as a way of cutting state costs. Community advocates say Hana’s distance from other resources would put […]