(BIVN) – The next high lava fountaining episode in the ongoing eruption at the summit of Kīlauea volcano could occur at anytime, scientists say. 

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says the forecast window for episode 46 suggests lava fountains could erupt sometime between Monday, May 4th, and Thursday, May 7th. 

“During episode 45, the Uēkahuna tiltmeter (UWD) recorded about 16.0 microradians of deflationary tilt,” the Observatory reported on Sunday. “Currently, UWD continues to record positive tilt at a consistent rate (between 0.05 – 0.1 microradians every hour). Since the end of episode 45, UWD has recorded a total of 13.2 microradians of inflationary tilt. Fluctuations in tilt are normal during eruptive pauses.” 

USGS webcam photo shows the summit of Kīlauea on Monday morning

On Sunday, the Observatory reported a consistent, bright glow from summit vents. “Frequent bursts of flames, and intermittent heavy gas emissions were observed from the south vent on webcams overnight,” the USGS HVO wrote. “The north vent occasionally produced a soft glow or gas plume.” 

Seismic tremor and earthquake activity at the summit has been described as elevated, but stable. 

No significant activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone. 

The USGS Volcano Alert Level is at ADVISORY, and the Aviation Color Code is at YELLOW.

Kīlauea has been erupting episodically since December 23, 2024. Once they begin, lava fountaining episodes generally last for less than 12 hours, and are then separated by pauses that can be longer than three weeks.