Halemaʻumaʻu eruption · episode 55 of 55
Kīlauea episode 55
Episode 55 of Kīlauea's Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began at 3:19 a.m. HST on October 17, 2026 and ended at 9:03 a.m. HST the same day. USGS gives the duration as about 6 hours. HVO's Uēkahuna tiltmeter (UWD) recorded 21 microradians of deflation during the episode.
Episode 55 at a glance
- Start (HST)
- October 17, 2026, 3:19 a.m.HVO notice
- End (HST)
- October 17, 2026, 9:03 a.m.HVO notice
- Duration
- about 6 hoursHVO notice · 5 h 44 min from start to end
- UWD tilt (deflation)
- 21 microradiansHVO notice
- Max fountain height
- Not stated by HVO
- Lava erupted
- Not stated by HVO
- Pause that followed
- Not stated by HVO
In HVO's words
The sentences these figures come from, quoted from USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory notices.
“Episode 55 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu began at the summit of Kīlauea began at 3:19 AM HST on October 17, 2026.”
“Episode 55 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at 9:03 a.m. HST on October 17, 2026 after about 6 hours of continuous lava fountaining.”
“Episode 55 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at 9:03 a.m. HST on October 17, 2026 after about 6 hours of continuous lava fountaining.”
“Deflationary tilt measured at a summit tiltmeter at Uēkahuna (UWD) totaled 21 microradians during episode 55.”
HVO notices about episode 55
- Volcano Activity Notice · Oct 14, 2026, 4:18 p.m. HSTStrong glow and minor intermittent spattering continue from the north, south, and west south vents since October 6. Minor overllows occurred from the north vent on October 12 and 14.
- Volcano Activity Notice · Oct 17, 2026, 3:43 a.m. HSTEpisode 55 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began at 3:19 AM HST on October 17, 2026.
- Volcano Activity Notice · Oct 17, 2026, 5:22 a.m. HSTEpisode 55 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption, which began at 3:19 a.m. HST on October 17, 2026, continues at 5:00 a.m. HST. The north vent fountain has reached a maximum height of 720 feet (220 m).
- Volcano Activity Notice · Oct 17, 2026, 9:11 a.m. HSTEpisode 55 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at 9:03 a.m. HST on October 17, 2026.
- Volcano Activity Notice · Oct 17, 2026, 9:59 a.m. HSTEpisode 55 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at 9:03 a.m. HST on October 17, 2026. VAN is being reissued to drop the alert level from WATCH to ADVISORY and the color code from ORANGE to YELLOW.
- Daily Update · Oct 18, 2026, 10:30 a.m. HSTSummary: The Halema'uma'u eruption of Kīlauea is currently paused after episode 55 fountaining ended yesterday at 9:03 a.m. HST. Summit reinflation continues today following the end of the fountaining.
Daily updates: USGS Kīlauea volcano updates. Full table: USGS Timeline of Eruptive Episodes.
Times are Hawaiʻi-Aleutian Standard Time (HST). Start and pause times, durations, fountain heights and lava volumes come from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's Timeline of Eruptive Episodes; tilt figures and episodes not yet in that table are quoted from HVO notices. USGS describes these as unreviewed, preliminary estimates that are subject to revision. Durations for episodes 17 and earlier may include precursory activity, and HVO rounds durations to the nearest hour, half-hour or day. A blank cell means HVO hasn't published that figure in a form we could read; we don't estimate it.
Credit: U.S. Geological Survey. This archive is generated automatically and is not an official USGS product.