Aloha, it's your weekly Volcano Minute, brought to you by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

The USGS is updating how it communicates volcanic hazards at Kīlauea as the summit’s historic lava‑fountaining eruption continues. After more than a year of episodic activity, the pauses between eruptive episodes have grown longer—sometimes stretching three weeks or more. With 43 episodes studied so far, scientists now have a much better sense of the hazards during both active fountaining and the quiet periods in between.

Until now, Kīlauea has generally stayed at WATCH and ORANGE, meaning elevated unrest or an ongoing eruption with limited hazards. But during impactful events—like episode 43 in March—the Alert Level was raised to WARNING and the Aviation Color Code was raised to RED. That episode sent ash to 22,000 feet above sea level, forced closures in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, caused ashfall across the Districts of Puna and Hilo, and even led to flight cancellations in Hilo.

Once episode 44 ends, HVO plans to lower Kīlauea to ADVISORY and YELLOW during eruptive pauses. That change more accurately reflects reduced hazards while still keeping the volcano under close watch. Then, when a new episode nears or begins, the alerts can be raised back to WATCH and ORANGE—and elevated to WARNING and RED if ash emissions or ground hazards become significant.

These updates are meant to give residents, visitors, and the aviation sector clearer, more accurate information as Kīlauea’s eruption continues to evolve. You can sign up for real‑time notifications through the USGS Volcano Notification Service.

Mahalo for listening, I’m Katie Mulliken and this was your weekly volcano minute brought to you by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.