Kīlauea is stirring again. Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory say signs of a new eruption episode began early Tuesday morning inside Halemaʻumaʻu crater.
Around 5:54 a.m. HST, lava overflowed from the volcano’s north vent cone and started spreading across the crater floor. What began as scattered spattering overnight became more continuous in the early morning hours, officials said.
The next full eruption episode is expected to begin sometime between Wednesday and Thursday, though scientists caution that high lava fountains could erupt as early as today.
These types of eruptions have become somewhat predictable in recent months. Since December 2024, Halemaʻumaʻu has seen a series of lava fountaining episodes, typically lasting less than a day and followed by multi-day pauses.
So far, all volcanic activity remains confined within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The volcano’s alert level remains at Watch, and the aviation color code is Orange.
Officials say they’ll issue another alert once sustained lava fountains signal the official start of Episode 25.
Live video streams and updates can be found on the U.S. Geological Survey’s website and YouTube channel.