Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Summit Eruption’s Episode 54 & Lala Aftermath - August 27, 2026
Episode 54 of Kīlauea’s ongoing summit eruption spanned from 10:30 AM to 7:33 PM on Tuesday, August 25, with fountaining only from the north vent that peaked around 500 feet or 150 meters high, similar to recent episodes. Despite lasting 9 hours (after 4 hours of precursory overflows), a smaller volume of 4.0 million cubic meters was erupted and covered about 30% of Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor, following a 3-day slowdown in its build up from Thursday to Sunday. The eruptive plume reached 17,000 feet or 5,200 meters above sea level, but drifted southwest of the summit with most fallout into the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. “However, HVO did also receive a report of Pele’s hair falling in the Kaʻū district.”
As glow, flames, seismicity, and inflation immediately followed the end of episode 54, USGS updates stated “that another lava fountaining episode is likely in the coming weeks.” Unusually, however, a deflation cycle began after roughly 6 hours and still continues more than 36 hours later – no other deflation cycles have come so soon after the end of an episode, although in general they have become much more common since the end of episode 50. As a result, the USGS still needs more data to establish the next forecast window, while adding the caveat “if normal tilt patterns resume.”
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, especially in the Kaʻū district recovering from Hurricane Lala. When trade winds blow, emissions can be carried substantial distances across the south side of the island, wrapping around to the Kona coast as reflected by today’s air quality readings. 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/.
Earthquakes across the island have largely followed recent patterns, with the additional deep quakes under and south of Kīlauea summit slowing since last week. The offshore seismic swarm beneath Kamaʻehuakanaloa volcano (formerly Lōʻihi) has gone quiet. Earthquake rates appear to have slightly increased for about a week after the recent storm, perhaps due to the influence of the incredible amount of water dumped on the south side of the island, but have calmed to background rates once again.
In our special segment today, we follow up on recovery efforts post-Lala. 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 and discussing live viewer questions as we go.
