VOLCANO ALERT

Aloha kākou. Pelehonuamea is stirring from slumber. Scientists have issued a “watch” alert level indicating that the volcano is exhibiting “heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption” under an uncertain timeframe. An “orange” aviation color code indicates the same. Although Hawai’i Volcano Observatory (HVO) reported that Kilauea is not currently erupting, with no evidence of surface lava, but they raised both the volcano alert level — from “advisory” to “watch” — and the aviation color code — from “yellow” to “orange” — in response.

HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK – The current Volcano Alert Level for Kīlauea has been raised from ADVISORY to WATCH, and the current aviation code has been raised from YELLOW to ORANGE, amid an ongoing swarm of earthquakes beneath the south part of the volcano caldera.

I haven’t felt any earthquakes in my area of the Big Island, mostly because the activity is pretty far away in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park area and Pāhala area. The EQ magnitudes have been in the 2 to 3.4 levels. Most tremblers are pretty shallow in depth, less than a mile. Usually, the depths are much deeper. The latest EQ map shows two swarm areas: One in the Kilauea crater area and the other by Pāhala town.

It doesn’t appear lava is flowing towards the eastern rift zone as it did in 2018. The lower East Rift Zone and 35-year-long Puʻuʻōʻō eruptions of Kīlauea had devastated the lower Puna District. With the largest subaerial flow renamed Ahu‘ailā‘au, the Forest Eater. This activity seems to isolated in the Ka’ū district. No one can say with any certainty where Pelehonuamea will move.

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Today started with some rain and cloudy skies. It has remained cloudy and blustery all day. Tradewinds are from the southeast at 5mph with gusts at 16mph. Cloud cover is 54%. Visibility is 10 miles. We got just under 5/8th inch of precipitation in the rain gauge overnight. Temperatures are in the upper 70’s. Humidity is at 84%. Barometric pressure is 30.27 inches and dewpoint is 59 degrees. UV index is 13.

ʻAukake Iwakālua Kūmāhā, 2021

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Kīlauea Updates

Aloha kākou. Things are going on at Kīlauea volcano. Here’s an update to what’s happening.

Voggy conditions are forecasted for Oceanview to Kona through at least midweek as Kīlauea’s most recent eruption continues, forecasters are saying today. VOG is the volcanic sulfur that’s emitted from the volcano eruption site. The VOG can be irritating to people with respiratory problems.

VOG mostly stays in the higher elevations and hugs around Mauna Loa as the tradewinds push the SO2 out to sea. It’s makes the skies look constantly overcast and it does look like fog. All hazy.

Despite that the air quality seems to remain “good or acceptable” based on current emission rates from the volcano observatory. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory this morning said the volcano was emitting 3,300 tons per day of sulfur dioxide (SO2). That’s down from the start of the eruption when an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 tons of SO2 was being released from Halema‘uma‘u crater. That’s good for everyone.

Lava activity remains confined to Halema‘uma‘u crater Monday. According to the volcano observatory, vents were spattering from two places at the top of a small cone on the northwest wall. Lava was also emerging as a small dome fountain in front of the west vents possibly from a submerged portion of the vent

The lava lake Monday was estimated at 623 feet deep and had a volume of over 34 million cubic yards, according to the observatory. It covered 82 acres within Halema‘uma‘u crater and was perched about a yard above its edge.

Scientists also said no seismic or deformation data indicates that additional magma is currently moving into either of Kīlauea’s rift zones. The number of earthquakes at Kīlauea has gone down, but there are many earthquake swarms near the Pāhala town area. Pāhala is located about 26 miles southwest of Kīlauea. It’s downwind of the VOG but generally you don’t see the VOG unless you’re in the higher elevations. You can really see the VOG in Kona.

The lava lake inside Kīlauea volcano rose to at least 623 feet deep over the weekend, according to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Lava activity remains confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater, with lava erupting from vents on the northwest side of the crater. You can think of Kīlauea and Halemaʻumaʻu as a volcano in a volcano. Here’s a map view.

At least Pelehonuamea, “She who shapes the sacred land,” Pele is the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes, both destroying and creating land.

 

The day started this morning with partly cloudy skies with plenty of sunshine. Cloud cover is 63%. Visibility is 10 miles. Tradewinds are from the north at 5mph with gusts at 13mph. We got 1/4 inch of precipitation in the rain gauge overnight. Temperatures are in the low 70’s with humidity at 87%.

Kīlauea Mea Hou

‘Ianuali Hapahā, 2020