Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Summit Eruption’s Episode 47 Begins - May 14, 2026
Kīlauea summit eruption’s episode 47 began at 3:27 PM this afternoon, following the expected 9-day pause. Precursory overflows from the south vent began this morning at 2:57 AM, with close to 60 spill-overs before the north vent reawakened around 2:35 PM, building to a vigorous low dome fountain by 3 PM, and reaching 200 feet or 60 meters high by 4 PM. The south vent continues to overflow during the early stages of the episode, although in the previous three events with a similar pattern, the south vent never progressed to full fountaining. The duration of vigorous fountaining averaged 8.7 hours during episodes 44 through 46, although as always with nature, it’s wait-and-see. As with preceding episodes, the amount of lava erupted during episode 47, combined with the confirmation of monitoring signals showing underground recharge of magma, will determine the interval until another possible episode.
Trade winds are blowing volcanic emissions and any tephra load to the southwest into the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, similar to episode 45 up to this point. During the onset of each episode, emissions are at their peak on the order of 200,000 tonnes of SO2 per day, and can be carried substantial distances across the south side of the island, wrapping around to the Kona coast under current conditions. 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/.
In a special presentation this week, we co-stream the early phases of the episode live with Two Pineapples. Perhaps more briefly than usual due to the timing of this episode, 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.
