(BIVN) – Kīlauea volcano continues to build to the next episode of high lava fountaining, after precursory activity started Monday afternoon.
The USGS webcams have captured only a few moments of the activity. With the passage of Hurricane Lowell to the west, winds have been from the south, causing volcanic fume and steam to frequently obscure the camera views. the low-level lava activity could sometimes be seen through a temporary clearing. At times, a dome fountain was observed, feeding lava flows before ending with vigorous drainback.
Tiltmeters have been fluctuating and inflation has been irregular, as has been the case since the end of lava fountaining episode 54 on August 25. In recent days, scientists with the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory have calculated a forecast window for episode 55 to start between September 7 to September 10.
On Monday, in anticipation of episode 55, the USGS Alert Level for Kīlauea was raised from ADVISORY to WATCH, and the Aviation Color Code from YELLOW to ORANGE.
