Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Summit Eruption’s Episode 49 - June 18, 2026
Episode 49 of Kīlauea’s ongoing summit eruption lasted about 7.5 hours this past Sunday, June 14, fountaining lava up to 700 feet or 210 meters high from 9:36 AM to 5:05 PM and flooding the crater floor with another 5 million cubic meters of lava. The latest episode matches the pattern and character of episodes 44 through 48 with a single fountain from the north vent. Weak trade winds were sufficient to disperse volcanic emissions of gas and tephra towards the southwest away from communities, although variable winds in the mid-afternoon did allow for “very sparse Pele’s hairs found on parked cars” near the Kīlauea Military Camp. Monitoring instruments show recharge ahead of another expected episode, “likely to begin between June 23 and June 27 with June 25-26 most likely” barring any natural delays.
In the meantime, both vents continue to emit roughly 1,000 to 5,000 tonnes of SO2 per day, which while low-level compared to the output during fountaing episodes on the order of 200,000 tonnes, is still much greater than industrial standards and impactful to downwind residents. When trade winds blow, emissions can be carried substantial distances across the south side of the island, wrapping around to the Kona coast. However, the current El Niño weather pattern reduces the strength of the trades, allowing for vog to also be distributed to communities north and east of the volcano as has been the case the past several days. 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/.
Unlike episode 48, this episode did not exhibit a flurry of earthquakes towards its tail end. Instead, a magnitude 2.5 event midway through the event was the strongest parallel. Elsewhere on the island, a magnitude 4.6 at a depth of 21 miles led the population of deep Pāhala quakes, while smaller aftershocks of the recent Kona-side events also continue. A cluster of deep events under Maunaloa also occurred this week, similar to other weeks in recent months, with that volcano unchanged from its recent pattern of magmatic refilling, slowly rising and spreading as it recovers from its 2022 eruption and builds towards its next.
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.
