The 40th episode of the ongoing Halema’uma’u eruption began on Monday morning at approximately 8:22 a.m. according to USGS.

Episode 40 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu began at the summit of Kīlauea began at 8:22 a.m. HST on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026.

Officials are warning the public that certain areas of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park are off limits to protect a nesting nene family.

An eruption at one of Hawaii’s most famous volcanoes produced an unexpected and mesmerizing effect. When Halemaʻumaʻu crater erupted in June 2023, the intense heat rising from the lava created powerful swirling wind vortexes that looked strikingly similar to tornadoes.

Kīlauea summit region shook for 5 hours Nov. 14 that year as magma made a path to the surface. The eruption began at 8:08 p.m. as a series of small lava fountains on the south wall of Kīlauea Iki Crater, east of Kaluapele — the summit caldera of Kīlauea. Gradually, during the next day, eruptive activity became focused at one vent.