(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.
This story will be updated as changing conditions warrant.
