Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano put on a spectacular show Tuesday night, with its latest eruptive episode producing arched bands of red lava taller than some skyscrapers.
The volcano’s full bloom was marked by sustained lava fountains more than 1,000 feet high, with maximum heights of more than 1,300 feet, approximately the elevation of the top floor of the Empire State Building.
Tuesday marked a new outbreak of an eruption that began on Dec. 23, 2024, the U.S. Geological Survey said in its daily status report on the volcano. A live broadcast of the performance by the USGS attracted thousands of viewers.
Lava flows “have covered approximately one-third of the floor of Halema’uma’u Crater,” the USGS said in its report, referring to the bowl at the top of the volcano.
The National Park Service has closed the summit of Kilauea, citing the danger of glassy volcanic fragments known as tephra.
Early Tuesday afternoon, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency closed Highway 11, the main road to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Kilauea, for the same reason.
The USGS said nearby communities on the Big Island, including Volcano Village and Mauna Loa Estates, could be affected by the tephra.
The agency assigned the episode its highest volcano alert level, red, which it describes as a certain danger: “A large volcanic eruption is imminent, underway, or suspected to have hazardous activity both on the ground and in the air.”
The National Weather Service extended a daytime ashfall warning for the national park and southeast and southwest areas until 11 p.m. local time.
Such a warning means that volcanic ash is in the air and could make breathing difficult, while its accumulation could affect public services. The weather service said those in the alert area should stay put, close and seal doors and windows, and keep electronic devices away from outside air.
