(BIVN) – Episode 50 in the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption got underway on Saturday at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
The episode began at 10:10 a.m. after a morning of renewed precursory activity. The north vent fountain peaked in height between 11 am and noon, and was measured at around 1,000 feet (300 meters) high.
The fountains fed into an ash plume cloud that climbed up to 18,000 feet above sea level.
“Low level trade winds will push ash toward the southwest, and any ash fallout will likely occur over the Kaʻū District and Highway 11 southwest of the town of Volcano,” reported the National Weather Service in a 11:28 a.m. Special Weather Statement. “This includes the communities of Pahala and Naʻalehu.”
At 1:55 p.m., the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said light fall of Pele’s hair was reported from Pāhala in Kaʻū.
“Based on current conditions, the Volcano Alert Level will likely remain at WATCH and the Aviation Color Code will likely remain at ORANGE for the remainder of episode 50,” the Observatory stated.
“The peak effusion rate for episode 50 was about 430 cubic yards (330 cubic meters) per second, which is slightly higher than recent episodes,” the Observatory reported. “Peak effusion occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m.”
In a social media post, the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park said park managers are not expecting temporary closures at this time, “but that could change based on wind direction, volcanic gas and tephra fallout.”
