Honestly, if you're looking at the Big Island right now and expecting a 2018-style disaster, you’re looking at the wrong map. Kilauea is doing something weird. It’s behaving like a flickering lightbulb rather than a wide-open faucet.
Right now, as of mid-January 2026, the current eruption of Kilauea volcano is technically "paused," but that word is doing a lot of heavy lifting. We just saw Episode 40 wrap up on January 12. It was a violent, spectacular burst of energy that sent lava fountains screaming 800 feet into the air. Then, after less than ten hours, it just... stopped.
This is the new normal for Hawaii's most active volcano. Since December 23, 2024, Kilauea has abandoned its long-term "steady leak" phase and moved into this high-intensity, episodic pattern. It’s like a pressure cooker that vents every couple of weeks.
The Rhythm of the Fire
Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) are currently tracking a massive "rebound" in the ground.
Basically, the volcano is inflating like a balloon. After Episode 40 drained the shallow magma chamber, the UWD tiltmeter—a super-sensitive tool that measures how much the ground leans—recorded a drop of about 17.5 microradians. Since then, it’s already gained back nearly 9 microradians. The magma is pushing back up. It’s a literal buildup of tension that usually breaks every 12 to 14 days.
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If you're planning a trip to see the current eruption of Kilauea volcano, you need to understand the timing. It’s no longer a "show up whenever" kind of event. Between January 13 and 15, we saw a series of four different earthquake swarms. These weren't the big, house-shaking kind. Most were magnitude-1 or smaller, happening about a mile and a half under Halemaʻumaʻu crater.
Why does this matter? Because shallow cracking usually means the roof of the magma chamber is getting stressed. HVO is currently forecasting the next big fountaining event (Episode 41) to likely hit between January 20 and January 25, 2026.
What You'll Actually See at the Summit
If you head to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park today, you aren't going to see a river of fire. Not yet.
What you'll see instead is a massive, steaming pit. There’s a persistent glow from the North and South vents, especially at night. You might see "incandescence"—which is just a fancy science word for glowing hot rock—creeping across the crater floor as the millions of cubic yards of lava from last week continue to cool.
It’s quiet. But it’s an eerie, heavy kind of quiet.
The air quality is also a bit of a wildcard. Even during these pauses, the volcano is coughing up between 1,000 and 5,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide (SO2) every single day. That's a lot of gas. When the wind dies down, that "vog" (volcanic smog) settles into the Kau District and can make the air taste like a struck match.
Common Misconceptions About the 2026 Activity
People keep asking if the Puna district is in danger again.
The short answer is no. For over a year now, all the action has been locked inside the summit caldera. There is zero significant activity along the East Rift Zone or the Southwest Rift Zone. The "lava in the backyard" nightmare of a few years ago isn't the current vibe.
Another big mistake? Thinking you can just hike up to the rim.
The area around Halemaʻumaʻu has been closed since 2007 because the walls are literally falling apart. The recent earthquake swarms make the crater rim even more unstable. If you want to see the current eruption of Kilauea volcano safely, you’ve got to stick to the designated overlooks like Uēkahuna or the Keanakākoʻi area.
Why This Matters for Your Trip
If you're on the island right now, you are in a "wait and see" window.
- Check the webcams. The USGS "V2cam" gives you a live look at the crater. If you see the ground starting to glow bright orange on your phone, drop your coffee and get to the park.
- Watch the tilt. If the HVO daily update mentions a "sharp deflationary trend," that usually means the lava has finally broken through the surface.
- Mind the glass. Pele’s Hair—thin strands of volcanic glass—is being blown around the park right now. It looks like golden grass but it'll shred your skin and eyes if you try to pick it up.
Your Immediate Action Plan
The volcano doesn't care about your flight schedule. To catch the next fountaining episode, you need to be ready to move on short notice.
Keep the USGS Volcano Updates page bookmarked on your phone. If you see a notice that the Alert Level has shifted or that "tremor is increasing," that is your cue. The fountaining episodes in this 2025-2026 cycle have been short—some lasting less than 10 hours. If you wait until the next morning to drive up from Kona, you might literally miss the entire show.
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Plan to visit the park after dark. Even during a pause, the depth of the crater and the "gas-pistoning" inside the vents create a deep, red pulse against the clouds that you just can't see during the day. Pack a rain jacket, bring a headlamp, and stay on the marked trails. Pele is putting on a masterclass in patience right now, and the best thing you can do is pay attention to the data she's dropping.