UPDATE – (Wednesday, July 29) – Episode 52 ended abruptly at 2:36 a.m. HST on Wednesday morning, July 29, after 7.4 hours of continuous fountaining from the north vent. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports the maximum lava fountain height was approximately 500 feet (150 meters) above ground level. The south vent never fountained during this episode but did emit flames at the end of the eruption. The maximum plume height was approximately 19,000 (5,800 meters) above mean sea level. Tephra fall was restricted mostly to the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to the southwest of the active Halemaʻumaʻu vents.
(BIVN) – Episode 52 in the ongoing eruption at the summit of Kīlauea got underway on Tuesday night.
High lava fountaining from the north vent in Halemaʻumaʻu began at 7:10 p.m. HST on Tuesday evening.
In an Volcanic Activity Notice, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported light winds from the north to northeast direction “indicate that much if not all of the tephra fall and volcanic gas emissions will occur within Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, mainly south of the Halemaʻumaʻu vents.”
Earlier today, in anticipation of the start of episode 52, the USGS Volcano Alert Level for Kīlauea was raised from ADVISORY to WATCH and the Aviation Color Code from YELLOW to ORANGE.
From the Observatory’s Volcanic Activity Notice issued on Tuesday evening:
Episode 52 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu began at the summit of Kīlauea began at 7:10 p.m. HST on July 28, 2026 with 100 foot (30 meter) fountains. This followed precursory spattering from both vents that began on the night of July 27. Initial precursory overflows began at 10:22 a.m. HST from the north vent. After 6 precursory flows lasting 10-30 minutes, continuous overflows began from the north vent at 1:56 p.m. HST and continued until they transitioned into the start of episode 52 fountains.
UPDATE – (9:50 p.m.) – From an update Volcanic Activity Notice issued by the USGS HVO at 9:36 p.m. HST:
Episode 52 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu began at the summit of Kīlauea began at 7:10 p.m. HST on July 28, 2026 and continues as of this notice. Fountains are close to peak height of about 500 feet (150 meters) at 9:15 p.m. HST. Effusion rate is also peaking at 350 cubic yards per second (270 cubic meters per second).
The National Weather Service radar shows the maximum plume height reached 19,000 feet AMSL (above mean sea level) and is currently at about 16,000 feet AMSL. Winds are still below the inversion and the plume is currently rising vertically. Currently no tephra is falling on the overlooks closest to the Halema’uma’u vents, but it is possible they will experience light fall of ash and Pele’s hair later in the eruption. Above 10,000 feet AMSL, winds are weak and out of the north. Satellite images indicate that volcanic gas is moving southward from the vent area at high altitudes. Most higher tephra can be expected to fall south of the Halema’uma’u vents within the closed areas of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.
