Kilauea Volcano Erupts in Hawaii: Live Updates on Lava Flows, Air Quality Alerts & Safety Tips

HILO, Hawai‘i — Kīlauea has surged back to life, launching incandescent lava fountains up to 1,000 ft above Halemaʻumaʻu’s crater floor and painting night skies a fiery orange. Episode 23 of the summit eruption began at 4:15 p.m. HST on Sunday, May 25, when a swarm of shallow earthquakes gave way to a curtain of lava across several vents on the western crater floor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). Key developments • Lava coverage: By Monday morning the molten field had spread over 90 percent of Halemaʻumaʻu’s floor, piling new crust up to 33 ft thick and re-filling portions of the caldera drained in the 2018 collapse. • Fountaining spectacle: Sustained jets reached the height of a 75-story building, occasionally coalescing into a lava lake whose surface churned like a boiling cauldron. Frequent spatter bursts are sending Pele’s hair as far as Volcano village. • Gas and vog: SO₂ emission rates spiked to 32,000 t per day—roughly triple last week’s baseline—producing thick volcanic haze (vog) that drifted westward toward Kona. Health officials advise sensitive groups to limit outdoor activity when the Air Quality Index dips below 100. • Seismicity: Aftershocks from the pre-eruption swarm continue, with 550 events recorded in 24 hours, most <2 mi beneath the summit. No deformation is evident along the East Rift Zone, and Mauna Loa remains quiet. • Park access: Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is open but has closed the rim south of Keanakāko‘i. Rangers warn of limited parking and urge visitors to arrive before sunset or after midnight for the best viewing. Impact on travel and local life Kona International Airport reported minor arrival delays Sunday evening due to ash advisories, though no flights were canceled. Residents downhill of the summit face minimal lava risk, but ashfall left a thin gray film on roofs in Pāhala. Farmers in Kaʻū are monitoring potential acid rain impacts on coffee trees, while tour operators are pivoting to night-viewing packages that promise “lava glow selfies” under the Milky Way. Scientific context Geologists believe this activity is driven by a fresh injection of basaltic magma from 25–35 mi beneath the island, replenishing the summit reservoir emptied during last winter’s quiet phase. The episodic “stop-start” behavior seen since December 2024 may continue for weeks, resembling the 2021–22 pattern that produced intermittent but spectacular surface activity. What happens next? HVO keeps Kīlauea at ALERT LEVEL WARNING and Aviation Color Code RED. While current lava remains confined to the caldera, flank vents could activate with little notice. Residents along the Southwest Rift are urged to maintain eruption kits and stay tuned to civil defense messages. Livestreams from USGS and local media provide real-time views, and scientists will conduct overflights today to map lava thickness and gas flux. If SO₂ emissions decline in coming days, vog conditions should improve; conversely, a jump in seismic tremor may signal another surge. For now, Kīlauea has reclaimed center stage, reminding Hawai‘i—and the world—why Pele’s volcano ranks among Earth’s most dynamic natural wonders.