Update: 12am 12/21   A  new eruption began last evening in the Kīlauea Caldera.  The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) reported a earthquake swarm early last night (Dec. 20th) that was accompanied by ground deformation detected by tiltmeters.  At approximately 9:30 HST, an orange glow was observed at Halemaʻumaʻu. HVO stated that multiple fissures have opened on the walls of the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater and that a new lava lake is forming at the base of the crater.  Fountaining from one of the fissures is estimated at approximately 50m (165 ft).  All lava is currently contained within the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater in the Kīlauea Caldera.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.3 was felt across much of the Island at approximately 10:36pm, however the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported it was not strong enough to create a Tsunami threat to the Island of Hawaiʻi.

In a Sunday evening update, Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense said trade winds are expected to push any embedded ash toward the southwest.  Fallout is likely in the Kaʻu District in Wood Valley, Naʻalehu and Ocean View and encourage residents to stay indoors to avoid exposure to ash.

Photo credit: Ken Boyer