Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Eruption’s Ep.44 Complete & 1868 Anniversaries - April 15, 2026
Episode 44 of Kīlauea’s summit eruption ended last Thursday night at 7:41 PM after 8.5 hours of vigorous lava fountaining from only the north vent, with peak heights around 800 feet or 240 meters. As with previous episodes erupting from a single vent, the total output was still tremendous at 5.8 million cubic meters, but reduced roughly in half from episodes where both vents activate. Despite this, heat and ash were carried by the volcanic plume up to 16,000 feet or 4,900 meters above sea level, which aided by southerly winds covered the ground with tephra up to 12 inches or 30 cm falling on the northern rim of Kīlauea caldera, Kīlauea Military Camp, and the Volcano Golf Course subdivision. Closure of Highway 11 in the Volcano area as well as Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park may have been of greater impact than the tephra fall according to community members, yet the proactive approach taken by authorities is refreshing, though still needing work. A lighter dusting of ash was reported locally as far as the island’s eastern coast around Hilo.
The smaller lava output during episode 44 combined with the continuing high recharge rate shown through ground tilt data leads to a USGS-HVO forecast window of April 19 to 25, suggesting a much shorter pause of 10 to 16 days than the 30 days preceding April 9. While storm impacts to the monitoring network have interrupted several online data streams, USGS has recovered most missing data and its ability to monitor and forecast have not been significantly impacted. The summit’s south vent has been glowing “consistently” in recent days with occasional periods of “intense flaming”. Both vents continue to emit robust gas plumes during pauses between episodes, with typical degassing values of 1,000 to 5,000 tonnes of SO2 per day, which while low-level for the current activity, is still much greater than industrial standards and impactful to downwind residents. Both during and between episodes, vog and tephra remain the most common hazards for island residents, and the usual precautions and preparations apply, especially for those with respiratory sensitivities – more information at https://vog.ivhhn.org/.
This week we resume special coverage of the anniversary of the 1868 Maunaloa eruption on its Southwest rift and associated Kīlauea earthquakes and eruptions. As usual, we summarize the monitoring signals, imagery, and reports available courtesy of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory as well as our broader community, annotating the presentation on-screen as we go and discussing live viewer questions.
