🌋Kīlauea eruption episode 47 summary    Episode 47 of the Kīlauea summit eruption in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park stopped at 12:27 am HST May 15 after 9 hours of lava fountaining.    🌋 Lava flowed from the south vent about 75 times in the 12 hours before episode 47, but only the north vent produced a lava fountain (up to 650 ft/200 m) during the episode. The south vent continued to overflow for a couple of hours, diminishing over time to spattering and then only flames. An estimated 6.2 million cubic yards (5.2 million cubic meters) of lava spilled across Halemaʻumaʻu, covering nearly half of the crater floor with new lava.    💨 The eruptive plume rose to about 20,000 ft (6,000 m) above sea level; weak winds as the episode peaked allowed the plume to rise vertically, causing tephra to fall around Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera). Most tephra fell within the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, but sparse reticulite up to 3 inches (5 centimeters) in size fell at both the Uēkahuna and Keanakākoʻi overlooks. Fine ash and Peleʻs hair fell in communities to the northeast.   ⛔️ The USGS kept the Kīlauea alert level/aviation color code at WATCH/ORANGE throughout the episode because fallout was not extensive and did not last very long. After the episode ended, USGS lowered Kīlauea to ADVISORY/YELLOW reflecting that volcanic activity had decreased significantly but continues to be closely monitored for possible renewed increase.    Kīlauea summit region inflation since the end of episode 47 indicates that another fountaining episode is possible; however, more time is needed to collect data to generate the model to forecast episode 48.    📹 Video clips show Kīlauea episode 47 lava fountaining on May 14, 2026.    #Kilauea #Lava #Eruption