Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano was putting on a spectacular show Tuesday evening, with its latest eruptive episode producing arching bands of red lava higher than some skyscrapers.
The volcano’s full bloom was punctuated by sustained fountains of lava more than 1,000 feet high, with peak heights of more than 1,300 feet — about the elevation of the top floor of the Empire State Building.
Tuesday marked a new flare-up for an eruption that started on Dec. 23, 2024, the U.S. Geological Survey said in its daily volcano status report. A USGS livestream of the performance drew thousands of viewers.
Lava flows “have covered about one third of the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater,” the USGS said in its report, referring to the bowl at the summit of the volcano.
The National Park Service has closed Kīlauea’s summit, citing danger from 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 Kīlauea within, for the same reason.
The USGS said nearby communities on the Big Island, including Volcano Village and Mauna Loa Estates, could be struck by tephra.
The agency assigned its highest volcano warning level to the episode, red, which it describes as signifying sure danger: “Major volcanic eruption is imminent, underway, or suspected with hazardous activity both on the ground and in the air.”
The National Weather Service extended a daytime ashfall warning for the national park and areas southeast and southwest until 11 p.m. local time.
Such a warning means volcano ash is in the air and could make breathing more difficult, while its accumulation could affect utilities. The weather service said those in the warning area should stay put, close and seal doors and windows and keep electronic devices away from outside air.
