USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-10-17T19:56:12+00:00

HVO/USGS Volcanic Activity Notice

Volcano: Kilauea (VNUM #332010)

Current Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORY
Previous Volcano Alert Level: WATCH

Current Aviation Color Code: YELLOW
Previous Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Issued: Saturday, October 17, 2026, 9:59 AM HST
Source: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Notice Number: 2026/H492
Location: N 19 deg 25 min W 155 deg 17 min
Elevation: 4091 ft (1247 m)
Area: Hawaii

Summary: Episode 55 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at 9:03 a.m. HST on October 17, 2026. VAN is being reissued to drop the alert level from WATCH to ADVISORY and the color code from ORANGE to YELLOW.

Volcanic Activity:

VAN is being reissued to drop the alert level from WATCH to ADVISORY and the color code from ORANGE to YELLOW. Episode 55 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at 9:03 a.m. HST on October 17, 2026 after about 6 hours of continuous lava fountaining. 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

Remarks:

Hazard Analysis: 

Volcanic Gas: water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) 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 may be remobilized during windy conditions following recent eruptive episodes. Residents and visitors should minimize exposure to these fragments, which can cause skin and eye irritation. More information is available at the links below:

Lava flows: lava on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater and the southwest side of Kaluapele, Kīlauea's summit caldera, remain 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 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.

Contacts:

askHVO@usgs.gov

Next Notice:

HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and will issue additional notices as needed based on activity. Regularly scheduled daily updates for Kīlauea are posted on the HVO website at https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/volcano-updates

More Information:

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm
Kīlauea webcam images: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/webcams
Kīlauea photos/video: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/photo-and-video-chronology
Kīlauea lava-flow maps: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/maps
Kīlauea FAQs: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/faqs

Subscribe to these messages: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns2/
Summary of volcanic hazards from eruptions: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/hazards
Recent earthquakes in Hawaiʻi (map and list): https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo
Explanation of Volcano Alert Levels and Aviation Color Codes: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanic-alert-levels-characterize-conditions-us-volcanoes

VOLCANO OBSERVATORY NOTICE FOR AVIATION (VONA)

WMPA01 PHVO 171959
VONA
DTG: 20261017/1959Z
VOLCANO: KILAUEA 332010
PSN: N1925 W15517
AREA: HAWAII
SOURCE ELEV: 4091FT AMSL
NOTICE NR: 2026/69
CURRENT COLOUR CODE: YELLOW
PREVIOUS COLOUR CODE: ORANGE
SVO: HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY
ACT STS: ERUPTION OCCURRED
ONSET: UNKNOWN
DUR: UNKNOWN
VA CLD HGT: UNKNOWN
HGT SOURCE: NO VA CLD PRODUCED
MOV: UNKNOWN
CTC: HVO DUTY SCIENTIST: 808-785-3144
RMK: VONA IS BEING REISSUED TO DROP THE COLOR CODE FROM ORANGE TO YELLOW. LAVA FOUNTAIN EPISODE 55 ENDED AT KILAUEA SUMMIT AT 9:03 A.M. HST. FOUNTAIN ACTIVITY IN THIS AREA UNLIKELY FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS. REFER TO NWS FOR INFORMATION ON DRIFTING PLUME.
NXT NOTICE: A NEW VONA WILL BE ISSUED IF COND CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY OR IF THE COLOR CODE CHANGES
NNNN