USGS Volcanoes: Notices released in the last day.

Minor seismicity and small rockfalls were detected over the past day. Clouds obscured views of the active lava dome in satellite and web camera imagery.

The current eruption began in July 2021 and, since then, lava flows have filled most of the summit crater and advanced into valleys below. There have been no explosions at Great Sitkin Volcano since an event in May 2021. The volcano is monitored using local seismic and infrasound sensors, satellite data, webcams, and regional infrasound and lightning networks.

Low-level unrest continues with minor earthquake activity. Steaming was observed from the fumarole field in partly cloudy satellite imagery.

There is no real-time geophysical monitoring network at Mount Kupreanof. The closest functioning seismometers are approximately 17 miles (27 km) to the east of the volcano as part of the Mount Veniaminof network. Mount Kupreanof is also monitored by satellite data, remote infrasound and lightning networks, and visual observations from pilots and mariners passing by the volcano. 

Minor seismic activity and infrasound signals were detected at the volcano. The typical degassing plume from the summit crater with sulfur dioxide and steam emissions was observed in partly cloudy satellite views. Clouds obscured web camera views. 

Local seismic and infrasound sensors, web cameras, and a geodetic network are used to monitor Shishaldin Volcano. In addition to the local monitoring network, AVO uses nearby geophysical networks, regional infrasound and lightning data, and satellite images to detect eruptions. 

Activity Summary: 

• Episode 50 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption at the summit of Kīlauea ended abruptly at 5:10 p.m. HST on June 27, 2026, after 7 hours of continuous lava fountaining from the north vent. The eruption is currently paused.
• Tephra fall was restricted mostly to the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to the southwest of the active Halemaʻumaʻu vents. A light fall of Peleʻs hair was reported from the town of Pāhala in Kaʻū.

Episode 50 Chronology:

Lava fountaining episode 50 in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea began at 10:10 a.m. HST on June 27 and stopped abruptly at 5:10 p.m. HST, after 7.0 hours of continuous fountaining from the north vent. The last 2-3 minutes were marked by gas jetting from the north vent. The south vent never fountained during this episode. The instantaneous effusion rate peaked at about 430 cubic yards (330 cubic meters) per second between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m. HST, with an average effusion rate of 280 cubic yards (210 cubic meters) per second for the entire fountaining episode. An estimated 6.4 million cubic yards (4.9 million cubic meters) of lava erupted and covered about 50% of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor. The Uēkahuna tiltmeter (UWD) recorded about 15.3 microradians of deflationary tilt during episode 50. Seismicity followed the normal change in tremor patterns seen after most fountain episodes. There were no locatable earthquakes associated with the end of the eruption.

The initial signs of the approach of episode 50 began with brief periods of spattering associated with gas jetting and tremor spikes from the south vent that were first observed at 7:22 p.m. on the evening of June 24. These intensified over the next day and were joined by small spattering events from the north vent. Around 3:00 a.m. HST on June 26, activity from both the south and north vents increased, leading to the first precursory overflows. Episode 50 lava fountaining began a little over 25 hours after the onset of very short (<50 feet or 15 meters) precursory lava overflows at 8:50 a.m. HST from the north vent on the morning of June 26. The initial overflow lasted about 13 minutes and was followed by another north vent overflow from 9:25 to 9:40 a.m. HST. This was followed by an approximately 21-hour long break in eruptive activity only punctuated by brief episodes of spatter associated with gas jetting and tremor spikes from the south vent.

Eruptions of precursory lava flows resumed from the north vent at 6:56 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. HST on the morning of June 27. This was followed by another large precursory overflow that extended well onto the crater floor that began at 8:38 a.m. HST. The second precursory flow lasted for over an hour until the vent began to drain back at 9:41 a.m. HST. The drainback was associated with multiple large tremor spikes and led directly into the next precursory overflow at 9:46 a.m. HST. Dome fountains gradually increased from about 15 feet (5 meters) high to over 50-100 feet (15-30 meters) high by 10:10 a.m. HST as increasing tremor and rapidly dropping tilt marked the onset of episode 50 fountaining.

The north vent lava fountain reached a peak height of around 1,000 feet (300 meters) just after 11:30 a.m. HST and produced significant heat and ash, feeding a plume cloud that reached a maximum height of about 18,000 feet (5,500 meters) above sea level based on radar data and verified by webcam images. Winds were out of the northeast for most of the eruption causing the plume to move to the southwest during the most energetic part of the eruption. The National Weather Service issued an updated Special Weather Statement (SWS) at 11:28 a.m. HST discussing the possibility of ash and Peleʻs hair falling in the Kaʻū district near the towns of Pāhala and Naʻalehu. The plume track largely remained within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park with most tephra falling in the closed area. The more distal part of the plume track roughly followed the Southwest Rift Zone and USGS field crews found a light fall of Peleʻs hair in the town of Pāhala around 1:30 p.m. HST. By this time the north vent fountain had dropped to 700 feet (210 meters) in height and the plume dropped slightly to 17,000 feet (5,000 meters) above sea level. The fountain and plume heights continued to gradually decrease in height to about 330 feet (100 meters) and 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) above sea level by 4:50 p.m. HST. Then the episode ended at 5:10 p.m. HST. No ash or tephra was reported from any other populated areas except for Pāhala during the eruption.

Published Notices about episode 50: 

Volcano Activity Notice at end of episode 50: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans-public/notice/DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-06-28T02:53:57+00:00

Volcano Activity Notice for maximum episode 50 fountain heights and reports of Peleʻs hair in Pāhala:  https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans-public/notice/DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-06-27T22:36:39+00:00

Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Agency message alerting community to potential ash fall: https://evb.gg/n#weqeeri4v4z/0l8qPz9H

HVO short messages posted to the HVO website and social media as episode 50 progressed: HVO - Observatory Messages | U.S. Geological Survey

Volcano Activity Notice when episode 50 began: USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-06-14T18:44:52+00:00 

Kilauea Daily update for June 27 prior to the start of episode 50: USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-06-14T16:47:05+00:00

Volcano Activity Notice issued when precursory eruptions to episode 50 began: USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-06-14T14:34:51+00:00

Hazard Analysis: 

• Volcanic Gas: water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) are continuously released during an eruption. SO₂ reacts in the atmosphere to create the visible haze known as vog (volcanic smog) downwind, which may cause respiratory and other problems. Further information on vog can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org/
• Tephra: small glassy volcanic fragments—volcanic ash, pumice, scoria, Pele’s hair and reticulite—are created by the lava fountains. A combination of fountaining dynamics and wind conditions determines where tephra fall may occur for any given eruption episode. Larger particles fall near the vents while light particles may be wafted greater distances. These particles may be remobilized during windy conditions following recent eruptive episodes. Residents and visitors should minimize exposure to these fragments, which can cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation. More information and guidance on tephra fall hazards is available at the links below:
  • https://seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/resource-and-guidance-for-volcanic-tephra-fall/  
  • https://vog.ivhhn.org/sites/default/files/PelesHair_FAQs_v2.pdf
• Lava flows: generally advance slowly downslope, and during this eruption flows have been confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater and the southwest side of Kaluapele, Kīlauea's summit caldera. 
• Other: significant hazards exist around Kīlauea caldera from Halemaʻumaʻu crater wall instability, ground cracking, and rockfalls that can be enhanced by earthquakes. Close to the vents, the tephra material on the crater rim is prone to cracking, slumping, and small landslides that sometimes expose hot and molten material within. This underscores the extremely hazardous nature of Kīlauea's caldera rim surrounding Halemaʻumaʻu crater, an area that has been closed to the public since late 2007.

Episode 50 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at 5:10 p.m. HST on June 27 after 7 hours of continuous lava fountaining. Tephra that was carried high into the air during fountaining may continue to fall on communities and roads in Ka'u today after lava fountaining has ended. Additional details on this eruptive episode will be provided in the next official report.

• All eruptive vents and lava flows are confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Tephra fall from volcanic ash clouds is greatest within 3 miles (5 km) of the vents, lighter ash and Pele's Hair may stay suspended for large distances from the vents.
• Timeline of eruptive episodes since December 23, 2024: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/eruption-information 
• Three Kīlauea summit livestream videos are available here: https://www.youtube.com/@usgs/streams 
• Additional short updates shared during the episode can be found here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/observatory-messages 

Episode 50 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea began at 10:10 a.m. HST on June 27 and continues as of this notice. 

Lava fountains are currently erupting from the north vent and reaching heights of about 700 ft (200 m). Peak fountain heights of about 1,000 ft (300 m) were reached between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. North vent fountains are feeding large lava flows that are covering the floor of Halema'uma'u crater; about 30% of the crater floor has been covered by episode 50 lava flows so far. No fountains or flows have erupted from the south vent during episode 50 so far.

HVO ground crews report light fall of Pele's hair in Pahala in the district of Ka'u that began to fall just after 1:00 p.m. HST. Additional ash and Pele's hair fall may be expected in Kaʻu.

The National Weather Service and Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center reports that the plume from this eruption is reaching 17,000 ft (5,200 m) above sea level. Ground-level sensors near the eruptive vents indicate that low-level winds are blowing from the northeast at 11 mph (5 m/s), which suggests that volcanic gas emissions and volcanic material may be distributed to the southwest direction from Halemaʻumaʻu. Webcam and radar data confirm that the eruptive plume is being blown to the south-southwest of Halema'uma'u.

The National Weather Service issued at updated Special Weather Statement at 11:28 a.m. indicating that any ash fallout will likely occur over the Ka'u District and Highway 11 southwest of the town of Volcano, including the communities of Pahala and Naalehu: https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=NWS&product=SPS&issuedby=HFO

Based on current conditions, the Volcano Alert Level will likely remain at WATCH and the Aviation Color Code will likely remain at ORANGE for the remainder of episode 50.

The peak effusion rate for episode 50 was about 430 cubic yards (330 cubic meters) per second, which is slightly higher than recent episodes. Peak effusion occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m. 

The UWD tiltmeter has recorded approximately 10 microradians of deflationary tilt during episode 50 so far.

• All eruptive vents and lava flows are confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Tephra fall from volcanic ash clouds is greatest within 3 miles (5 km) of the vents, lighter ash and Pele's Hair may stay suspended for large distances from the vents.
• Help support science and community awareness by reporting tephra fall: https://hawaiiash.science/report_form 
• Three Kīlauea summit livestream videos that show eruptive lava fountains are available here: https://youtube.com/@usgs/streams 
• KPcam and MKcam provide views of the plume height for aviation purposes
• Additional short updates as the episode progresses will be posted here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/observatory-messages 
• Timeline of eruptive episodes since December 23, 2024: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/eruption-information 

Most lava fountaining episodes since December 23, 2024, have continued for a day or less.

Episode 50 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu began at the summit of Kīlauea began at approximately 10:10 a.m. HST on June 27. 

A precursory lava overflow began erupting from north vent at 9:46 a.m. after 5 minutes of vigorous drainback. Dome fountains gradually increased in vigor and in height from about 10 feet (3 m) to over 50 feet (15 m) by 10:10 a.m. as summit tremor increased and summit tilt decreased. Fountains are currently about 100 feet (30 m) in height and growing. Fountains are expected to grow to over 600 feet (180 m) within 1-2 hours. 

Ground-level sensors near the eruptive vents indicate that surface winds are blowing from the northeast direction, which suggests that volcanic gas emissions and volcanic material may be distributed to the southwest direction from Halemaʻumaʻu. However, above the inversion layer (about 8,000 feet or 2,400 meters above sea level) very light winds from the west are forecast up to 18,000 feet (5,000 meters), which might allow the plume to spread. Winds at higher levels will strengthen out of the west. Higher level winds could push parts of the plume to the east over surrounding communities.

• All eruptive vents and lava flows are confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Tephra fall from volcanic ash clouds is greatest within 3 miles (5 km) of the vents, lighter ash and Pele's Hair may stay suspended for large distances from the vents.
• Support science and community awareness by reporting tephra fall: https://hawaiiash.science/report_form 
• Three Kīlauea summit livestream videos that show eruptive lava fountains are available here: https://youtube.com/@usgs/streams 
• KPcam and MKcam provide views of the plume height for aviation purposes
• Additional short updates as the episode progresses will be posted here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/observatory-messages 
• Timeline of eruptive episodes since December 23, 2024: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/eruption-information 

Most lava fountaining episodes since December 23, 2024, have continued for a day or less.

The National Weather Service has issued a Special Weather Statement regarding potential tephra impacts from episode 50: https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=HIZ053&warncounty=HIC001&firewxzone=HIZ339&local_place1=3%20Miles%20E%20Mountain%20View%20HI&product1=Special+Weather+Statement&lat=19.517&lon=-155.108

Overview:

The summit eruption of Kīlauea in Halemaʻumaʻu has resumed with precursory overflows including a large overflow this morning from 6:57 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. HST. Summit inflation, overflows, strong vent glow, flaming, increasing spattering, and degassing continues, indicating that episode 50 is likely to begin today June 27.

No significant activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

NOTE: Significant changes in activity between Daily Updates are posted here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/observatory-messages

Summit Observations:

Precursory low-level activity increased yesterday morning around 8:50 a.m. HST with a small lava overflow from the north vent along with increasing levels of spattering and gas jetting. Accordingly, HVO raised the Alert Level for Kīlauea from ADVISORY to WATCH and the Aviation Color Code from YELLOW to ORANGE. Activity then stabilized from about 10:30 a.m. yesterday until just before 7:00 a.m. this morning, when a significant precursory overflow from the north vent began at 6:57 a.m. and drained back at 7:15 a.m. This overflow was fed by a 10 foot (3 meter) high dome fountain with little spattering even during drainback. The north vent had continuous glow overnight, but no spattering was observed until a few seconds before the overflow. Intermittent gas jetting with minor spatter continued from the south vent through the night and these events were associated with tremor spikes. 

Spikes of seismic tremor preceded by periods of low tremor continued (every 10-15 minutes) resumed overnight. Two small earthquakes (less than M1) were located beneath Kīlauea volcano's summit in the past 24 hours.

Kīlauea summit deflation totaled 15.5 microradians during episode 49. Once the episode ended, inflation resumed and has since recovered 16.7 microradians of tilt at the summit tiltmeter at Uēkahuna (UWD). 

The sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission rate from the summit is likely now varying within a typical range of 1,000 to 5,000 tonnes per day. 

According to the National Weather Service, surface winds below the inversion level (about 8000 feet or 2400 meters above sea level) are forecast to be moderate to strong tradewinds out of the northeast, which will move the lower part of the plume to the southwest. Above the inversion layer, very light winds are forecast up to 18000 feet (5000 meters), which might allow the plume to spread out. Above this, winds will become more westerly and strengthen. Higher level winds could push parts of the plume to the east.

The National Weather Service has issued a Special Weather Statement regarding potential tephra impacts from episode 50: NWS Special Weather Statement for Kīlauea

Rift Zone Observations:

Rates of seismicity and ground deformation remain low in the East Rift Zone and Southwest Rift Zone. SO₂ emissions from the East Rift Zone remain below the detection limit.
 

Analysis:

The abrupt switch from deflation to inflation at the end of episode 49 along with overflows, tremor, glow and increased intensity of spattering from the vents indicates that episode 50 fountaining is likely today. Current inflation since the end of episode 49 has now exceeded the tilt lost in that episode. Both inflation and seismic based forecast models suggest the onset of episode 50 is most likely today, Friday June 26, or possibly tomorrow, Saturday, June 27.

Kīlauea has been erupting episodically since December 23, 2024, from two vents (north and south) in Halema‘uma‘u. Lava fountaining episodes, which generally last for less than 12 hours, are separated by pauses that can be longer than three weeks.

HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and is in contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency about eruptive hazards.

Please see the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm

Summary of episode 49:

A detailed account of episode 49 is given in the HVO Status Report Issued June 14: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans-public/notice/DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-06-15T03:23:25+00:00

• Episode 49 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began at the summit of Kīlauea at 9:36 a.m. HST after approximately 5 hours of precursory activity. The episode ended abruptly at 5:05 p.m. HST on June 14, 2026, after 7.5 hours of continuous lava fountaining from the north vent. Lava fountains reached a maximum height of almost 700 ft (210 m) and lava flows covered 40-50% of the crater floor. The eruption is currently paused.
• Most tephra fell within the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. There were no reports of tephra fall at public viewing locations, including the Uēkahuna bluff, Keanakākoʻi overlook, and Volcano House. Similarly, there was no ash detected by field crews in nearby communities.

Resources:

NOTE: HVO’s monitoring network is mostly recovered from recent power- and storm-related outages. Several summit stations, including the SDH tiltmeter, will remain offline until we are able to re-establish access across the deep tephra field southwest of the caldera.

The following links provide more information about the current eruption that began on December 23, 2024:

• Eruption resources, including the most recent map and a timeline of eruption episodes since December 23, 2024: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/eruption-information
• Short messages tracking the evolution of the lava fountains and eruptive activity can be found here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/observatory-messages
• Three Kīlauea summit livestream cameras that show eruptive lava fountains are available here: https://www.youtube.com/@usgs/streams
• Summit eruption webcams: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/summit-webcams
• Volcano Watch article on gas pistons: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/news/volcano-watch-so-what-earth-or-least-kilauea-a-gas-piston

Hazards:

This episodic eruption is occurring within a closed area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

• Volcanic Gas: high levels of volcanic gas—primarily water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂)—are continually released during an eruption. Emissions can remain locally hazardous in the areas immediately downwind of the vents, even when the vents are not actively erupting. SO₂ reacts in the atmosphere to create vog (volcanic air pollution) downwind. SO₂ and vog may cause respiratory and other problems at high concentrations. Further information on vog can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org/
• Tephra: small glassy volcanic fragments—volcanic ash, pumice, scoria, Pele’s hair and reticulite—are created by the lava fountains. A combination of fountaining dynamics and wind conditions determines where tephra fall may occur for any given eruption episode. Larger particles fall near the vents while light particles may be wafted greater distances. These particles may be remobilized during windy conditions following recent eruptive episodes. Residents and visitors should minimize exposure to these fragments, which can cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation. More information and guidance on tephra fall hazards is available at https://seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/resource-and-guidance-for-volcanic-tephra-fall/
• Lava flows: lava on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater and the southwest side of Kaluapele, Kīlauea's summit caldera, remains hot and may slowly move in the days immediately following an eruptive episode.

Other significant hazards exist around Kīlauea caldera from Halemaʻumaʻu crater wall instability, ground cracking, and rockfalls that can be enhanced by earthquakes. Close to the eruptive vents, the tephra material on the crater rim is prone to cracking, slumping, and small landslides that sometimes expose hot and molten material within. This underscores the extremely hazardous nature of Kīlauea's caldera rim surrounding Halemaʻumaʻu crater, an area that has been closed to the public since late 2007.