July 30, 2026
ADVISORYKīlauea volcano is not erupting; the summit eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu is paused. Episode 52 ended at 2:36 a.m. HST on July 29. Reinflation indicates another episode is likely but more data are needed to determine the forecast.
Kīlauea Episode 52: Eruption Recap & Timeline
⚠️Alert Level: WATCH|Aviation Code: ORANGE
Live data from USGS HVO. View full dashboard
Episode 52 Summary
Episode 52 is one of the fountaining episodes of Kīlauea's ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption, which has produced numbered episodes every one to four weeks since December 2024. The daily USGS status entries that reference it are collected below, and the full daily updates log has the complete day-by-day record.
Episode 52 by the Numbers
- Started
- July 28, 2026 - 7:10 p.m.
- Paused
- July 29, 2026 - 2:36 a.m.
- Duration
- 7 hours
- Max fountain height
- ≈490 ft (150 m)
- Lava volume
- 4.7M m³
- Pause that followed
- 14 days
How Episode 52 compares
Lava fountains in Episode 52 reached about 490 feet (150 meters), the 37th highest fountain height of 54 recorded episodes and 29% below the median of 700 ft.
The episode erupted an estimated 4.7 million cubic metres of lava, 10% below the median of 5.2M m³.
Fountaining lasted 7 hours, 30% below the median of 10 hours. Kīlauea's episodes are short and intense: most last hours, not days.
The summit then paused for 14 days while magma recharged before the next episode began.
Comparisons computed across the 54 eruptive episodes USGS has recorded for the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption. Figures are USGS preliminary values and can be revised.
Episode 52 in the Daily USGS Log
July 29, 2026
ADVISORYKīlauea volcano is not erupting; the summit eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu is paused. Episode 52 ended at 2:36 p.m. HST on July 9. Reinflation indicates another episode is likely but more data are needed to determine the forecast.
July 28, 2026
WATCHPrecursory low-level eruptive activity before episode 52 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began around 10:22 a.m. HST on July 28, 2026. Volcanic Activity: Precursory low-level activity for episode 52 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption at the summit of Kīlauea began around 10:22 a.m. HST on July 28 with an overflow from the north vent. Accordingly, HVO is raising the Alert Level for Kīlauea from ADVISORY to WATCH and the Aviation Color Code from YELLOW to ORANGE. Alert level and aviation color code definitions: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/alert-level-system. This low-level precursor
How to Monitor Episode 55
- Live status dashboard: hawaii-watch.com/volcano, updated every 10 minutes
- Next-episode forecast tracker: hawaii-watch.com/volcano
- Live webcams: hawaii-watch.com/volcano/webcams
- Daily USGS status log: hawaii-watch.com/volcano/updates
- Going to see one in person: hawaii-watch.com/volcano/kilauea-tour-vs-diy
- USGS source: usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/volcano-updates
Is It Safe to Visit Hawaii During an Eruption Episode?
Always check the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website and follow guidance from park rangers and USGS HVO before visiting. Conditions can change rapidly. This site is for informational purposes only. Always defer to official park and emergency management sources.