Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
About an hour after Kīlauea lava fountaining episode 48 ended, much larger and more powerful steam-rich vortices formed over Halemaʻumaʻu crater.
Episode 48 began at 4:40 a.m. HST on June 1, 2026, and ended abruptly at 1:37 p.m. HST after nearly 9 hours of continuous lava fountaining from the north vent. USGS reported that the episode erupted an estimated 7.3 million cubic yards / 5.6 million cubic meters of lava, covering about 40% of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor.
This video was recorded after the lava fountaining had stopped, but the crater floor and newly erupted lava were still extremely hot. Heavy rain falling onto fresh lava, hot rock, and volcanic deposits created huge amounts of steam. As that steam and hot air rose rapidly, the unstable atmosphere over the crater helped produce rotating columns known as steam-rich volcanic vortices or volcanic whirlwinds.
These are not true waterspouts or tornadoes, even though they can look similar. They form from intense localized heating, rising steam and gas, turbulent airflow, wind shear, and rotation near the hot crater floor. In this case, the combination of fresh lava from episode 48, heavy rain, lingering volcanic heat, and unstable air likely made the vortices larger and more powerful than the ones seen during the active fountaining.
USGS reported that episode 48 produced tephra, Pele’s hair, ash, and reticulite around parts of the summit region, and that the eruption paused after the episode ended.
This video is for observation and educational purposes. For official eruption updates and hazard information, follow the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense.
Official USGS HVO updates:
usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/observatory-messages
About an hour after Kīlauea lava fountaining episode 48 ended, much larger and more powerful steam-rich vortices formed over Halemaʻumaʻu crater.
Episode 48 began at 4:40 a.m. HST on June 1, 2026, and ended abruptly at 1:37 p.m. HST after nearly 9 hours of continuous lava fountaining from the north vent. USGS reported that the episode erupted an estimated 7.3 million cubic yards / 5.6 million cubic meters of lava, covering about 40% of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor.
This video was recorded after the lava fountaining had stopped, but the crater floor and newly erupted lava were still extremely hot. Heavy rain falling onto fresh lava, hot rock, and volcanic deposits created huge amounts of steam. As that steam and hot air rose rapidly, the unstable atmosphere over the crater helped produce rotating columns known as steam-rich volcanic vortices or volcanic whirlwinds.
These are not true waterspouts or tornadoes, even though they can look similar. They form from intense localized heating, rising steam and gas, turbulent airflow, wind shear, and rotation near the hot crater floor. In this case, the combination of fresh lava from episode 48, heavy rain, lingering volcanic heat, and unstable air likely made the vortices larger and more powerful than the ones seen during the active fountaining.
USGS reported that episode 48 produced tephra, Pele’s hair, ash, and reticulite around parts of the summit region, and that the eruption paused after the episode ended.
This video is for observation and educational purposes. For official eruption updates and hazard information, follow the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense.
Official USGS HVO updates:
usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/observatory-messages
