Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Kilauea's north vent fountained lava roughly 950 feet on July 15 before Episode 51 ended, and the summit is already reinflating. The real hazard downwind is vog and Pele's hair, not the lava.
On July 15, 2026, Kilauea's north vent fountained lava roughly 950 feet into the air for more than eight hours before Episode 51 ended that afternoon. The summit is already reinflating, which means another episode is probable within days.
Most of the danger does not come from the lava, which stays inside a closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It comes from what travels downwind: sulfur dioxide that becomes vog, and light strands of volcanic glass called Pele's hair that settle miles from the vent. If you live near one of the active volcanoes in the US, the eruption you watch on a livestream is also an air quality event arriving at your door.
A prepared household already knows which room seals best, keeps N95 respirators with the emergency kit, and covers stored water before ash and gas reach it. If you have not staged for this yet, start with volcanic eruption preparedness.
