The Kilauea Volcano had its 45th eruption of its current eruptive cycle on the Big Island of Hawaii yesterday and today scientists believe the next one could strike in about 2 weeks. Episode 45 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea began at 1:34 am local time on April 23, after two days of precursory activity, and ended at 10:01 am the same day. The eruption is currently paused.

Kilauea has been erupting episodically since December 23, 2024, from two vents  in Halema‘uma‘u. Lava fountaining episodes, which generally last for less than 12 hours, are separated by pauses that can be longer than three weeks.

According to USGS and the Hawaii Volcano Observatory, the rapid return of inflationary tilt and strong glow from both Halemaʻumaʻu eruptive vents indicates that another lava fountaining episode is likely.

“There is not enough information to develop a detailed forecast window for the next episode,” HVO says, but geologists tracking the volcano and the plethora of data captured around it believe the next eruption is likely to begin in about 12-14 days from now.

The lava from this eruption stayed inside the summit caldera and was no threat to any communities around Hawaii Volcano National Park, where Kilauea resides. With usual trade winds in place, the fall-out of tephra, volcanic gas, and other volcanic debris was limited to primarily the park area and didn’t hamper any roads or communities beyond the park border.