UPDATE – (May 26) – Episode 23 of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption ended abruptly at 10:25 p.m. HST on Sunday, May 25. 

Following the pattern of the episodic eruption, the end of the episode coincided with a rapid change from deflation to inflation at the summit and a decrease in seismic tremor intensity. 

Just before the episode ended, the Hawaiʻi Police Department issued an alert message, advising motorists to avoid Highway 11 from the 24-mile marker to the 29-mile marker because visitors to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park were causing traffic congestion. 

(BIVN) – The sustained lava fountaining phase of Episode 23 in the eruption of Kīlauea volcano began at 4:15 p.m. HST on Sunday, May 25. 

By 5:20 p.m., lava fountains from the south vent were measured at about 230 feet (70 meters) in height, while lava fountains from the north vent exceeded 1,000 feet (300 meters), some of the highest lava fountains seen at the Kīlauea summit in decades. 

The USGS Volcano Alert Level and Aviation Color Code for Kīlauea remain at WATCH/ORANGE. All current activity is occurring within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. 

USGS webcam captures the lava fountains of Episode 23 at the summit of Kīlauea on Sunday.

The vigorous lava activity follows days of low-level precursory behavior at the Hawaiʻi island volcano.

“Inflationary tilt at UWD reached just over 12 microradians since the end of the last episode and changed quickly to deflation when sustained fountaining began,” the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory wrote in an early Sunday evening update. “Seismic tremor began increasing at 4:36 p.m. at the same time that fountaining increased in height and volume.  Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rates are estimated to be approximately 50,000 t/d during fountaining events.”

USGS webcam captures the lava fountains of Episode 23 at the summit of Kīlauea on Sunday.

This story will be updated when more information becomes available.