Occasional Bursts of Volcanic Ash Emanating from Crater

The National Weather Service reports that web cameras and reports from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory at Kilauea Volcano Summit indicate occasional bursts of volcanic ash emanating from Halema‘uma‘u Crater.

This image captured at 5:10 p.m. on Thursday, May 17, 2018, is from a research camera mounted in the observation tower at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. The camera is looking SSE towards the active vent in Halemaʻumaʻu, 1.9 km (1.2 miles) from the webcam. For scale, Halema‘uma‘u is approximately 1 km (0.6 mi) across and about 85 m (~280 ft) deep.

These bursts may be brief and may occur at multiple times. Low and midlevel winds may direct the ash across portions of Ka‘ū, Puna as well as North and South Hilo Districts up to 10,000 feet.

In the event of a more significant eruption, an Ashfall Advisory or Warning may be necessary.

Avoid excessive exposure to ash which is an eye and respiratory irritant. Those with respiratory sensitivities should take extra precaution to minimize exposure.

For more information on the status of Kīlauea Volcano, see https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/status.html.

For health and safety recommendations, please visit the Hawai‘i Interagency Vog Information Dashboard at https://vog.ivhhn.org.