June 27 Lava Flow Update – 1/19/15

Stop and go advancement seems to be the trend of the June 27 lava flow.

Hawai’i County Civil Defense’s Monday morning overflight showed stalled activity in all of the main lava flow breakouts and areas, including the most recent active and advancing portion of the flow that was extending towards Highway 130 west of the Pahoa Police and Fire Stations.

The breakout that advanced 70 yards between Saturday and Sunday made no advancement in the past 24 hours. Civil Defense reported the flow to be sluggish and says the leading tip is 0.4 miles from the Highway 130 area.

Continuous stalled activity was observed in the original flow front that threatened Pahoa Marketplace just weeks ago. The south margin breakout that was active and advancing during the same time period has also been observed by Civil Defense as stalled.

Two additional breakouts that had been watched closely over the past couple of weeks, about 1-1.5 miles upslope from the original stalled flow front, also remain stalled and has been reported by Civil Defense as “very sluggish with little signs of advancement.”

None of the current lava activity poses an immediate threat to communities in the area, and is being monitored under the watchful eye of Civil Defense and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Fire conditions are being monitored by the Hawai’i Fire Department, and there is no current fire threat to residents or businesses in the area. Fire activity that occurred over the past week has all been contained within the fire break perimeter and is limited to hot spots and flare ups.

After days of heavy smoke conditions, a slight continued improvement has been reported. Light to moderate smoke conditions were observed Monday morning as a light east wind was blowing smoke in a west direction. These conditions, as usual, have the potential of changing. Officials advise that those who are sensitive or have respiratory issues take necessary precautions and remain indoors.