Update, evening of May 5, 2026: Episode 46 ended abruptly at 5:22 p.m. HST after about 9 hours of continuous lava fountaining inside Halemaʻumaʻu. Per USGS Notice 2026/H209, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory dropped the Volcano Alert Level from WATCH back to ADVISORY and the Aviation Color Code from ORANGE to YELLOW. No active fountaining at the summit right now. Background unrest continues at Halemaʻumaʻu and a future episode is likely on the same 1–3 week cadence we have seen since the eruption resumed in December 2024.

Update, morning of May 5, 2026: Episode 46 lava fountaining began at 8:17 a.m. HST. Ground-level sensors near the eruptive vents reported slack winds, with National Weather Service forecasting light and variable winds becoming southeast 5–7 mph through the morning. Vog and tephra distributed through the summit area and drifted north and northwest of Halemaʻumaʻu during the episode.

Update, afternoon of May 4, 2026: Precursory low-level activity began around 1:38 a.m. HST on May 4 with lava overflowing from the summit’s north vent. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory raised the Volcano Alert Level for Kīlauea from ADVISORY to WATCH and the Aviation Color Code from YELLOW to ORANGE.

The pattern from recent episodes held: short precursory overflows, then sustained lava fountaining inside Halemaʻumaʻu. Episodes 44 and 45 each lasted under a day once fountaining began, and Episode 46 followed the same shape — a single continuous fountaining event ending abruptly when the summit reservoir finished deflating.

Episode 46 followed the rhythm we have come to expect from this cycle. The summit’s north vent began spilling lava onto the crater floor in short precursory overflows starting at 1:38 a.m. HST on May 4 — the typical opening sequence HVO describes before a main fountaining event. Between the end of Episode 45 on April 23 and the start of Episode 46 precursors, the Uēkahuna tiltmeter tracked inflationary tilt as magma re-pressurized the shallow summit reservoir.

Sustained fountaining began at 8:17 a.m. HST on May 5 and ran continuously inside Halemaʻumaʻu until ending abruptly at 5:22 p.m. — about 9 hours, in line with the 8 to 9 hour duration of Episodes 44 and 45. Activity stayed confined to the crater throughout. Volcanic gas emissions drop sharply once fountaining stops, and the summit reservoir now begins re-pressurizing for whatever comes next.

USGS livestream. The USGS Kīlauea webcams page lists every active camera at the summit. KWcam gives a wide panorama from the west rim. V1cam is a pan-tilt-zoom camera the observatory re-aims based on where the action is — during active fountaining it usually frames whichever vent is going hardest.

In person at the park. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is open 24 hours and does not close during summit eruptions. The best sightlines into Halemaʻumaʻu are from Keanakākoʻi Overlook and Uēkahuna, both on or near Crater Rim Drive. Both have cycled between open and closed for tephra cleanup after recent fountaining events, so check the NPS conditions page the day of your visit. After sunset, the crater glow is visible from multiple overlooks along the rim, and the sky above Halemaʻumaʻu turns orange on clear nights during active fountaining.

Park entrance fee: $30 per vehicle, valid for 7 days, per the NPS fees page. Annual pass holders enter free.

Episode 46 has ended, but the eruption itself has not. Halemaʻumaʻu remains the focus of background unrest, and based on this cycle’s rhythm, the next precursory overflows could begin anywhere from a few days to a few weeks from now. Episodes 41 through 46 have averaged roughly two weeks between starts. If you are on the island this week, the park is still worth the trip — fresh cooled lava covers most of the crater floor, the steaming vents are visible from the rim, and the post-episode landscape is its own kind of geology lesson.

Volcano Village sits a few minutes’ drive from the park entrance and is the obvious base camp for eruption-watching whenever the next episode arrives. From Hilo it is about 45 minutes; from Kona, roughly 2.5 hours (per Google Maps driving estimates). A rental car is essential — eruption windows do not coordinate with shuttle schedules, and the next episode could start at any hour.

For aerial viewing, several Big Island helicopter operators fly volcano-focused routes out of Hilo and adjust in real time to eruption status. You can compare Big Island helicopter tours on Viator.

Activity stayed confined to Halemaʻumaʻu inside the park boundary throughout Episode 46. Per the HVO assessment, lava did not flow into communities and did not threaten homes. The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption that destroyed Leilani Estates was a fundamentally different event. Conditions can change; HVO will update the alert level if rift-zone activity develops in any future episode.

Tephra is the main hazard during fountaining. Wind direction during Episode 46 distributed vog and tephra through the summit area and north/northwest of Halemaʻumaʻu. Past episodes have sent reticulite (volcanic glass) and Pele’s hair drifting well beyond the crater rim. The same hazards apply to whatever comes next: during active fountaining, keep car windows closed, limit time outside in the summit area if you have respiratory conditions, and avoid breathing volcanic dust.

Vog and SO₂ spike during fountaining and drop sharply between episodes. Right now, with no active eruption, summit air quality should clear over the next several hours. People with respiratory conditions should still monitor current air quality on AirNow before visiting. Our Big Island vog guide covers which parts of the island get hit hardest and when.

Stay on marked trails and behind barriers. The NPS safety guidance warns that ground near the crater edge can be undercut by lava tubes and unstable. Ignoring closures at an active volcano is how people die.

Flights at Hilo (ITO) and Kona (KOA) operated normally throughout Episode 46. Per USGS guidance on volcanic ash, summit eruptions of this type rarely produce ash clouds dense enough to disrupt commercial flights. Check directly with your airline if a future episode coincides with your travel.

Episode 46 is over, but the eruption is not. The summit reservoir is now in deflation-recovery mode — the Uēkahuna tiltmeter (UWD) will track inflationary tilt as magma re-pressurizes the shallow reservoir, and when that tilt approaches the threshold that preceded recent episodes, USGS HVO will start watching for the next round of precursory overflows. Episodes 41 through 46 have averaged roughly two weeks between starts, with a range from about 11 to 18 days. The next episode could come anywhere inside that window, or push past it.

The right tools to keep an eye on Kīlauea between episodes: the USGS Kīlauea webcams for any signs of returning activity, the HVO daily updates for tilt and deformation summaries, and AirNow for summit air quality if you plan to visit the park in the coming days. Our Kīlauea eruption updates page tracks the current USGS alert level and the latest episode summary.

Kīlauea is putting on one of the more spectacular eruption cycles in its modern record, with HVO logging dozens of episodes since the cycle began in December 2024. Episode 46 added another short, intense fountaining event to that record — and the eruption keeps going.