Volcanic Eruption In Hawaii Sends Lava Flying, Forces Evacuations As Emergency Continues

The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island continues to erupt sending hot lava into the air and sending rivers of molten magma around its cinder cone.  One of the world’st most active volcanoes began erupting last week, and it hasn’t stopped.

“At approximately 4:44 a.m. HST on June 7, 2023, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory detected glow in  Kīlauea summit webcam images indicating that an eruption has commenced,” USGS wrote in an update.

At one point since then a wind vortex could be seen just above the volcano— a rare meterelogical condition caused by high temperatures. The eruption has also generated toxic fumes and forced local evacuations.

The volcano is located near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (Hawaii EMA) has previously stated the erruption started before 5 a.m. HST on Wednesday. This prompted a new red alert from Hawaii’s emergency response system.

“At this time there is no indication that populated areas are threatened,” Hawaii EMA said in a post on Twitter.

This is the second eruption of the Kilauea volcano this year. It last erupted on Jan. 5, according to the USGS. That eruption lasted roughly three months and ended on March 7.

According to NASA, volcanoes contribute roughly 1% to the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Produced in association with AccuWeather

(Additional reporting provided by Joseph Hammond)

Edited by Deborah .C. Amirize and Virginia Van Zandt