(BIVN) – The Volcano Alert Level for Kīlauea on Hawaiʻi island has been raised, as the window for the next eruptive episode is now open.
Lava flows began overnight at the summit within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The precursory activity is building to high lava fountains; episode 45 in the ongoing eruption.
The activity prompted the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory to change the Alert Level for the volcano from ADVISORY to WATCH, and the Aviation Color Code from YELLOW to ORANGE.
Episode 45 is forecast to occur at any time between now and Sunday, April 26th. Scientists say precursory activity can continue for hours to days before the lava fountains begin.
Inflation has continued over the past 24 hours. Even when lava is not flowing from the vent, strong glow is consistently visible. Intense flames have been visible in the south vent, likely caused by the ignition of volcanic gases.
As of Tuesday morning, low-level seismic tremor continues. 15 small-magnitude earthquakes were recorded in Kīlauea summit region in the past 24 hours.
There have been no advisories from the National Weather Service ahead of the forecasted episode.
This map shows how strong, southerly winds during episode 44 on April 9th focused tephra in a northeast direction, resulting in the glassy material falling in parts of Volcano Village, and lighter ashfall reported as far away as Kaumana and Hakalau.
The National Weather Service reports that winds near the eruptive vents will be light today and tomorrow, from a southerly direction during the day and northerly overnight and into the early morning hours.
Trade winds are expected to redevelop late Wednesday and strengthen Thursday and Friday, which would be beneficial for directing falling tephra away from the populated areas immediately surrounding the summit.
