Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Summit Eruption’s Episode 50 - July 2, 2026

The 50th episode of Kīlauea’s ongoing summit eruption began at 10:10 AM on Saturday, June 27, and ended 7 hours later at 5:10 PM. For the 7th episode in a row, only the north vent erupted lava fountains, producing about 5 million cubic meters of lava which covered about 50% of Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor. Steady trade winds contained most of the volcanic emissions and tephra fallout within the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park southwest of the summit, although lighter volcanic products like fine ash and Pele’s hair carried farther distances towards the south part of the island, such as Pāhala where “light fall of Pele’s hair” was reported by USGS ground crews. Precursory overflows from the north vent began briefly 25 hours before the main fountaining phase, resuming and intensifying in the final 3 hours of build-up.

For the first 3 days following episode 50, monitoring instruments initially showed recharge of the magma reservoir ahead of another expected episode, with USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory models suggesting “that episode 51 will occur sometime between July 8 and 15, but this may change with changing summit inflation.” Meanwhile, glow and flaming has been observed from the vents. Then over the past 2 days, slow deflation of the summit has had the effect of “increasing the forecast uncertainty and delaying the onset of the next episode.”  The National Weather Service expects trade winds of varying strengths for the foreseeable future, potentialy limiting impacts to nearby communities. 

Since the end of the episode, 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 fountaining 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. 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/. 

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.