Episode 45 came in the small hours of Thursday morning. Precursory lava overflows from the north vent had been running since Monday evening, the alert level had already been at Watch/Orange since 20 April, and fountaining finally began at 1:34 AM HST on 23 April. It peaked at around 300 metres at approximately 3:00 AM, ran for roughly 8.5 hours, and ended at 10:01 AM. By 10:26 AM HVO had returned Kīlauea to Advisory/Yellow. Meanwhile Piton de la Fournaise is already showing signs of rebuilding after its 12 April end, and Mayon simply keeps going.
Kīlauea Episode 45 was brief, precise and — for communities south of the summit — smokier than some. North-to-northeast winds directed gases and small particles south and southwest of Halemaʻumaʻu. No significant tephra impact was reported at open park areas or county roads. HVO recorded 14 microradians of deflationary tilt during the episode and lowered the alert to Advisory/Yellow within half an hour of it ending.
🇺🇸 Kīlauea Advisory · Yellow
Precursory activity for Episode 45 began at 7:46 PM HST on Monday 20 April, when lava began overflowing from the north vent — the same classic opening move seen before previous fountaining episodes. HVO raised the alert level from Advisory/Yellow to Watch/Orange at that point. Over the following two days, precursory spattering and overflows continued while HVO's forecast window narrowed. By 22 April the daily update noted lava had been flowing from the north vent on Monday night and forecast models placed fountaining onset between 22 and 26 April.
Fountaining began at 1:34 AM HST on 23 April. Peak north vent fountains of approximately 300 metres were reached around 3:00 AM — a step up from Episode 44's 240m peak and back toward the scale of Episodes 41–43. North-to-northeast winds directed volcanic gas emissions and any airborne material south and southwest of Halemaʻumaʻu; HVO reported no significant tephra fallout at open public areas of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park or county roads, though small particles could travel further to communities downwind. The UWD tiltmeter recorded approximately 14 microradians of deflationary tilt during the episode. SO₂ emissions during Episode 45 were likely similar to Episode 44, when HVO measured 208,000 tonnes per day during active fountaining. Episode 45 ended at 10:01 AM HST. At 10:26 AM HVO lowered the alert level back to Advisory/Yellow — the procedure adopted after Episode 44 to better reflect the reduced hazard during inter-episode pauses. All lava flows remain confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater within the national park. The eruption has now produced 45 episodes of lava fountaining since 23 December 2024.
🇷🇪 Piton de la Fournaise Alert 2-2 · Recharging
Piton de la Fournaise's fourth eruption of 2026 ended at 23:10 local time on 12 April, as reported last week. Since then OVPF has been tracking the system's recovery. Shallow seismicity beneath the summit remained low following the end of activity, though deep seismicity at approximately 6 km below sea level west of the summit persisted — indicating continued magmatic activity at depth. Summit GNSS stations began recording inflation, a sign of pressurisation of a shallow source.
On 19 April at approximately 6:20 AM local time (2:20 UTC), low-amplitude volcanic tremor was recorded again by the OVPF network, with the source located on the east-southeast flank in the same position as during earlier eruptive phases. OVPF noted this signal could indicate a forthcoming resumption of eruptive activity, most likely at the last eruptive cone. However, by 20 April the tremor had decreased to a level indistinguishable from ambient seismic noise. As of 22 April, summit GNSS stations continue to record inflation while far-field stations show no particular signals. The system is building again. Given the tempo of 2026 so far — four eruptions between January and mid-April — another event in the coming weeks is a reasonable expectation.
🇵🇭 Mayon Alert 3 · 110+ days
Mayon's effusive eruption continues without meaningful change. Per the GVP/Smithsonian WVAR for the week ending 15 April (sourced from PHIVOLCS), the eruption during 8–14 April was characterised by continued lava effusion, pyroclastic density currents, incandescent rockfalls, and ash plumes rising 200–1,000 m above the summit, with daily Strombolian activity and short periods of lava fountaining. The seismic network recorded 169–287 daily rockfalls, 0–3 daily PDCs, and 34–254 daily volcanic earthquakes, with 5–36 periods of volcanic tremor each lasting up to 36 minutes. Daily SO₂ emissions averaged 1,536–2,428 tonnes per day. Lava flow lengths remain unchanged at 3.8 km (Basud), 3.2 km (Bonga), and 1.3 km (Mi-isi). The eruption has now been running for more than 110 consecutive days with no sign of meaningful retreat.
📡 What to watch next week
Kīlauea is back at Advisory/Yellow following Episode 45. The pattern since Episode 44 has been clear — advisory between episodes, Watch/Orange as precursory overflows begin. Watch for north vent overflows as the first signal that Episode 46 is approaching. The inter-episode interval has been running at roughly 13–20 days. Piton de la Fournaise is the other one to watch closely — summit inflation is underway, deep seismicity continues, and tremor briefly returned before fading. The system has now erupted four times in 2026 with short pauses between events. A fifth eruption before the end of May would fit the pattern established so far. Mayon at 110+ days shows no signs of a significant change in behaviour — this is a long-duration effusive eruption that will likely run for some time yet.