Kīlauea's Lava Fountains Just Hit 1,310 Feet & Sent an Ash Plume 25,000 Feet Into the Sky

Kīlauea is erupting again — and Episode 43 is one of the most explosive episodes since the current eruptive cycle began on December 23, 2024. The US Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory confirmed the eruption began at 9:17am Hawaii Standard Time on Tuesday March 10, 2026 — with initial lava fountains bursting from the north vent of Halemaʻumaʻu crater first, followed by the south vent joining the eruption just before 10am HST. Within the first 90 minutes, more than a quarter-inch of accumulated tephra — volcanic ash, pumice, scoria, Pele's hair, and glassy volcanic fragments — had already been reported across the area. The USGS has raised Kīlauea's Volcano Alert Level from WATCH to WARNING — its highest level, indicating a hazardous eruption in progress with significant ash emissions affecting public safety and aviation. The Aviation Color Code has been upgraded to RED — the most severe designation, signalling that a volcanic eruption is occurring with significant ash cloud that is of immediate concern to aircraft operations. If you are in Hawaii right now, here is everything you need to know. The Eruption by the Numbers: 1,310-Foot Fountains, 25,000-Foot Plume Episode 43 is producing some of the most dramatic eruptive statistics of the entire ongoing cycle. The south vent lava fountain is currently reaching 1,310 feet — approximately 400 metres — above the crater floor. The north vent fountain is reaching approximately 985 feet — approximately 300 metres. Maximum fountain heights for both vents have exceeded 1,300 feet during peak activity. Those numbers are extraordinary by any measure — the Statue of Liberty stands 305 feet tall from base to torch tip, meaning Kīlauea's south fountain is currently rising to more than four times that height above the crater floor. The eruption plume — the column of volcanic gas, ash, and tephra driven upward by the fountaining activity — has been confirmed by the National Weather Service and Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center at 25,000 feet above sea level, with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's latest report placing the plume at 30,000 feet above sea level as the eruption intensified through the afternoon. Southerly winds are currently pushing the plume northward — directing volcanic gas emissions and volcanic material toward communities northeast of the summit, including Volcano, Glenwood, and Mountain View. The Hazards: Football-Sized Tephra, Ashfall Warning & Highway Closure The immediate hazards from Episode 43 are significant and real. The USGS has confirmed that tephra fallout — including fragments up to the size of footballs — has been reported at overlooks within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, creating hazardous ground conditions that have prompted temporary closures of the summit area. In Volcano Village and Mauna Loa Estates, residents are reporting fragments up to three inches in diameter landing on roads, rooftops, and yards — alongside lighter material including Pele's hair, the delicate golden threads of volcanic glass created when lava is stretched by the wind during intense fountaining episodes. The National Weather Service has issued an Ashfall Warning — in effect until 5pm HST Tuesday — for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and communities to the northeast, including Volcano, Glenwood, and Mountain View. The Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency has announced the closure of Highway 11 between the 24 and 40 mile markers due to dangerous conditions created by tephra falling on the road surface. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park has announced temporary closures around Kīlauea's summit — with lodging guests at Volcano House and Kīlauea Military Camp permitted to enter the park, but general visitor access to summit overlooks suspended. The Context: Episode 43 of an Eruption That Began on December 23, 2024 Episode 43 is the latest chapter of a remarkable and unprecedented eruptive cycle that has been ongoing at Kīlauea's summit since December 23, 2024 — making this one of the longest continuous eruptive periods in the volcano's modern recorded history. The cycle has produced 42 prior eruptive episodes over approximately 77 days of active fountaining across that period, with most individual episodes lasting less than 12 hours before activity pauses and the volcano begins building pressure again for the next event. Episode 41 — in late January 2026 — lasted more than eight hours and produced widespread tephra that caused closures and weather alerts across a broad area before subsiding. The pattern of episodic short-burst eruptions separated by pauses of days to weeks reflects the unique recharge dynamics of Kīlauea's summit magma system — which inflates steadily during pauses, reaches a tipping point, and then rapidly deflates during each fountaining episode. USGS had forecast the onset of Episode 43 fountaining for the March 10-14 window — with the volcano delivering precisely on schedule. Lava flows from the current episode have been confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater and the southwest side of Kaluapele, Kīlauea's summit caldera — posing no immediate threat to residential communities outside the national park boundary. What to Do Right Now: The Safety Guidance If you are currently in or near Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park or the communities northeast of the summit, the guidance from authorities is clear and urgent. Residents should minimise outdoor exposure and stay indoors with windows and doors closed to reduce tephra and ash inhalation. If you must go outside, wear an N95 or P100 respirator — standard cloth or surgical masks do not adequately filter volcanic ash particles. Cover your eyes with goggles. Remove ash from rooftops carefully — accumulated wet ash is extremely heavy and can cause structural damage. Do not drive on Highway 11 between mile markers 24 and 40. Avoid touching Pele's hair with bare hands — the glassy fibres are extremely sharp and can cause skin and eye lacerations. Monitor the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website and Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency for real-time updates as the eruption continues to evolve. Episode 43 is ongoing. The fountains are still firing. The plume is still climbing. For the latest updates on the Kīlauea eruption and all breaking news, follow digital8hub.com.