HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, November 7, 2026 — Kīlauea’s 56th eruptive episode since December roared to life at 12:10 p.m. Thursday and fell quiet six hours later, leaving a fresh layer of black rock across the summit crater. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory clocked the episode’s end at 6:01 p.m. local time.
The Scene on the Ground
At the north vent, lava fountains started modest, pushing about 100 feet into the air, while smaller fountains played at the southwest vent. Within hours the north vent surged to 660 feet, a column of molten rock visible for miles across the caldera floor. The plume climbed to 18,000 feet above sea level, punching through the trade-wind inversion and spreading a veil of volcanic gas and fine ash downwind.
Residents describe a low, steady roar that vibrated through the viewing areas along Crater Rim Drive. By nightfall the fountains had collapsed, the incandescent spray replaced by a dull glow from the new lava lake surface.
Wind, Ash, and Advisories
Surface winds blew from the northeast at 23 mph, gusting to 32 mph, while upper-level winds streamed from the east-southeast. That shear pushed the plume toward the southwest and northwest quadrants of the park. The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement warning of light ashfall over the Kaʻū District and Highway 11 west of Volcano village, possibly reaching as far as Pāhala.
“Any ash fallout will likely occur over the Kau District and Highway 11 west of the town of Volcano and possibly as far southwest as Pahala,” the NWS stated. The advisory urged people to avoid excessive exposure, noting ash is an eye and respiratory irritant, and those with respiratory sensitivities should take extra precautions. Webcams and radar continued to show occasional small bursts of ash from Halemaʻumaʻu after the fountaining stopped.
A Rhythm Since December
Since December 23, 2024, Kīlauea has settled into a pattern of brief, fountain-driven episodes every few weeks. Most last a day or less. Episode 56 followed days of intermittent spatter, low dome fountains, and sluggish flows from the vent complex — a familiar prelude that HVO scientists have learned to read as a pressure buildup beneath the summit.
The alert level remains at watch and the aviation color code at orange. All lava activity stays confined to the summit crater within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, with no threat to infrastructure or communities outside the caldera rim.
Sources
- Hawaii's Kīlauea experiences 56th eruption episode, spewing lava hundreds of feet high in latest activity
- Kilauea’s lava fountaining ends after 6 hours in 56th episode
Photo: Domino721 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
