(BIVN) – Episode 44 in the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption ended abruptly at 7:41 p.m. Thursday evening, after producing high lava fountains for 9 hours. 

Scientists say this eruption was much smaller in size than episodes 41 through 43. Maximum fountain heights were recorded at about 800 feet, or 240 meters. About 7.5 million cubic yards of lava, equal to 5.8 million cubic meters, covered half of the crater floor. 

Steady winds at the time of the event produced a tephra fallout pattern similar to, but not as thick, as the previous episode. 

The south vent did not produce lava fountains during this episode, rather it displayed periodic gas jetting and flames. 

When the episode ended, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory dropped the Volcano Alert Level from WATCH to ADVISORY, and the Aviation Color Code from RED to YELLOW. This is a slight change from past episodes, representing a new procedure adopted by the Observatory to better represent the reduced hazard risk during periods between eruptive episodes. 

Highway 11, which was closed on Thursday due to tephra fall, has since reopened.

USGS: “At the Kilauea Military Camp in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, tephra from episode 44 lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea on April 9, 2026, covers the ground surface as the eruptive plume traverses overhead.” (USGS photo by K. Mulliken)

The Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park entrance, Crater Rim Drive East and Chain of Craters Road are also open. 

Some areas within the National Park remain closed. Winds during the episode transported gas and tephra in a narrow band to the north northeast of the caldera. Fallout of volcanic material was strongest in the direction of Kīlauea Military Camp and the Volcano Golf Course subdivision. 

Ash and Pele’s hair was reported as far away as Kaumana, just west of Hilo. 

Prior to the end of the episode, starting around 4:25 p.m., there was a two-hour flurry of small earthquakes just to the south of the summit caldera. The quakes were felt by an Observatory field crew in the area. Satellite radar measurements have indicated there was minor uplift of the southern crater rim around the same time. 

The Uēkahuna tiltmeter recorded about 17.6 microradians of deflationary tilt during episode 44. Once the lava fountains ended, inflation began once again, indicating that another episode is likely in the coming weeks. 

The Observatory says that at this time, there is not enough information to forecast the window when the next episode could occur.