Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes

09/10/2026

🌋When is Kīlauea going to erupt again? Possibly today, possibly tomorrow. 🤷🏽No one really knows. What do we know? The ānuenue (rainbow) weather continues at the summit.

🌈In Hawaiʻi, ānuenue signal the presence of akua (gods or chiefs or elemental forces). Maybe this ānuenue is a sign Pele is coming?

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory points out that summit reinflation has been very irregular since lava fountaining episode 54 on August 25 and over the past 24 hours has shown little change, remaining about 0.5 microradians below the episode 54 starting level. The lack of summit inflation has moved the forecast window for the start of episode 55 fountaining back to September 10-11.

Stay ahonui (patient) and enjoy the ānuenue, the ua (rain) and all the other elemental forces your park offers.

NPS Photo/J.Ferracane of ānuenue spanning Kaluapele near Halemaʻumaʻu crater and Uēkahuna

09/10/2026

A couple of non-eruption updates for you on this Wednesday afternoon:

🏨The Welcome Center is closed so our partners at Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association can complete product inventory. You can find park rangers, the NPS passport stamp and Junior Ranger books at the Volcano House. The Welcome Center will reopen Thursday at 9 a.m.

🚙Mauna Loa Road is now open to all use beyond Kīpukapuaulu. Park staff and chain sawyers have cleared the roads of fallen trees and addressed snags and other hazards.

🌧️It is a very rainy day as we await the potential lava fountains from Kīlauea episode #55. If you visit dress for wet and cool weather.

📸NPS Photo of a park ranger swinging a gate open at Mauna Loa Road.

09/09/2026

09/08/2026

Tuesday, 9/8 update at 9:45 a.m. HST:

🌋Kīlauea is not currently erupting but precursory lava flows are again seeping out onto the crater floor as of 9:28 a.m. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory estimates episode 55 could occur between today and Thursday, 9/10.

Be aware that the summit of Kīlauea is currently blanketed in poor air quality and lack of visibility. Volcanic gas (vog) continues to drift over popular viewing areas at the summit, including Volcano House. Light southerly winds are pushing vog, steam and fog over Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera), creating poor or no visibility this morning. You can smell and taste the sulfur dioxide.

Check air quality before and during your visit. Volcanic gas is toxic to everyone, especially to people with heart and respiratory issues, pregnant women and children: https://www.nps.gov/havo/air-quality-alert.htm

😷If Kīlauea erupts today, gases will increase and we expect tephra (volcanic material including small rock, ash and glassy fragments called Pele hair) to fall over the summit, viewing areas and communities to the northeast. Protect yourself and wear long pants, a hat, long sleeves, and use a dust mask to protect your lungs from tephra. If air quality is poor, leave that area. Masks do not protect against vog. Use a car cover if you have one.

Stay safe! And come back, tradewinds!

NPS Photo of a very cloudy volcanic summit with dark trees in the foreground