Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano Erupts, 30,000-Foot Ash Plume

NBC News reports:

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted from its summit before dawn Thursday, shooting a dusty plume of ash about 30,000 feet into the sky. The explosion came at about 6 a.m. local time (12 p.m. ET) after two weeks of volcanic activity and the opening of more than a dozen fissures east of the crater that spewed lava into neighborhoods, said Mike Poland, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Residents who live in a nearby town reported light amounts of ash falling following the eruption.

The BBC reports:

Staff at the volcano observatory and the national park had previously been evacuated. Since a new zone of Mount Kilauea began erupting almost two weeks ago, lava has wrecked dozens of homes and forced hundreds of people to be evacuated. A red aviation code had already been issued – warning pilots to avoid the potentially damaging ash cloud. The USGS had warned that an explosive eruption at Kilauea was becoming more likely as the volcano’s lava lake was lowering.

Warning from @CivilDefenseHI that an explosive eruption has occurred at #Kilauea. Ash plume expected to spread to SE. Driving conditions may be dangerous. Shelter in place if you can.

— Hawaii EMA (@Hawaii_EMA) May 17, 2018

Hawaii in one pic. This dude is hitting it at par on golf course. #Kilauea pic.twitter.com/RM9lcD3QWt

— #Thinker ? (@areta) May 17, 2018

Six waterspouts in a row! Due to intense heat of lava in Hawaii.
Credits: Bruce Omori#waterspout #hawaii #lava #volcano @TomHall #500pxrtg #kilauea #KilaueaEruption pic.twitter.com/6DsrTqcHKm

— Ryan A. Rose (@ThePastorRyan) May 17, 2018

Hawaii Mount Kilauea: Explosive eruption at volcano. Citizens told to
“shelter in place.”#hawaiivolcano #mountkilauea#volcano #Kilaueahttps://t.co/HsgdPmlSgx pic.twitter.com/wju28O4672

— A&E Today (@ceoaetnews) May 17, 2018

Volcano erupts at the summit of Hawaii’s #Kīlauea volcano ? pic.twitter.com/qpOajre3br

— #Thinker ? (@areta) May 17, 2018