First Big Snow of 2021

     Although we have gotten several dustings of snow on Mauna Kea this winter season, the first big snow arrived today. Below is a picture of the summit area courtesy of UKIRT. It looks as though this might even be able to have fun with. It may be ski time.

Kilauea Volcano Erupts

 

 

After over two years of quiet, Kilauea has once again erupted. The current eruption is confined to the Halemaumau Crater and is not generally visible from any vantage point in the National Park. The lava boiled off the water lake and is now building a lava lake that is larger than the water lake. As of this writing, the lava lake is rising several yard per hour. The image above is an aerial view provided by the Hawaii Volcanoes Observatory. We are waiting to see what develops from this point. The eruption was preceded by weeks of small earthquakes in the summit area that culminated in a 4.4 magnitude earthquake around 9:30 PM on 12/20/2020. That marked the onset of the eruption.

Big Island will reopen for tourism

 Hawaii has been essentially closed for tourism since the onset of COVID-19. However beginning on October 15, 2020 that has changed. Specifically for the Big Island for people flying directly to Kailua Kona, you must have a certified negative COVID test 72 hours before departing  for the Big Island. Once you arrive you will again be tested by a free rapid test to insure you have not developed a positive reading since your last test. If all is negative all is well and you are free to enjoy your vacation. If your rapid test is positive you have a 14 day quarantine or a return to your point of departure. Anyone that flies in without a prior negative test is subject to a 14 day quarantine.

First significant snow of the season

Finally on January 10, we finally got some significant snow on Mauna Kea. The skiers should be up there tomorrow. Access to the mountain is now available for those wishing to go up. Remember, if you are going up on your own, a 4WD is mandatory.

Water in Kilauea

For the first time in recorded history water is accumulating in Kilauea Caldera. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has released a photograph of the pond of water at the bottom of the crater produced by last year's explosions. The pond is growing in size, but the water has yet to be analyzed due to its inaccessible location. The only way to sample the water is by helicopter. Its existence may affect future eruptions.

 

April Snow

Overnight we had a little snow on Mauna Kea. Not bad for April.

Although we didn't get enough snow to ski on this year, we do have some in April. It should melt very quickly.

First Snow of the Season

Although it is just a dusting and not enough for skiing, we did get our first snow of the season in October.

Hurricane Lane 8-24-2018

            At this point, Hurricane Lane is approximately due west of Kailua-Kona. The Hilo side of the island has been inundated with heavy rain. Over 2 feet of rain has already fallen. While the island has not been experiencing high winds, the rain is causing landslides and fallen trees on the east side of the island. Consequently, many roads are closed.

            In the Kailua-Kona area, we have had less than an inch of rain and no wind. We are fortunate to have two mountains protecting us: Mauna Loa and Hualalai. Consequently, the effects of Hurricane Lane have been minimal so far.

Puna Eruption 8-5-18

I may be wrong in this, but I believe the eruption activity in Puna is at an end. Earthquakes have essentially ceased in th e Kilauea summit area, indicating that the large amount  of molten material feeding the Puna eruption is no longer leaving the summit area. In addition the flow from the active fissure in Puna has essentially ceased. Hopefully, that means the island will return to the tranquill, beautiful paradise it has been. Keep your fingers crossed/

Puna Eruption Update

As of now, the eruption in Puna  is ongoing with no immediate end in sight. Voluminous lava is flowing in a channel and has completely filled in Kapoho Bay. Over 600 hundred homes have been lost due to the lava flow. Explosions have been occurring at Halemaumau Crater on a daily basis. These explosions have compromised the structural integrity of Jaggar Museum  and all relics have been removed from the museum. In all probability the museum will have to be moved to another location. The National Park has been closed for the past six weeks and its reopening will not occur until well into the future.

The effect of the eruption on the Kona area largely depends on the winds. If the trades are active the Sulfur Dioxide and particulate concentrations are bearable for almost everyone. If the trades stop, then the high concentrations of those contaminants become dangerous. Consequently one has to be aware of meteorological conditions.

The end of the eruption cannot be predicted. The only encouraging sign that I see is that the time between explosions at Halemaumau has increased, so that it appears to be taking longer for pressure to build up  and cause an explosion. That, of course, says nothing about the lava flowing in Puna.