Click here for updates on this story
KILAUEA, Hawaii (KITV) — The 51st episode of eruptions lasted for over eight hours on Kilauea’s summit on Wednesday, according to USGS.
The episode started at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday where fountains reached about 950 feet. Episode 51 ended abruptly at 4:46 p.m. later in the afternoon.
The instantaneous effusion rate peaked at about 370 cubic yards per second at 10:30 a.m. HST, with an average effusion rate of 200 cubic yards (150 cubic meters) per second for the entire fountaining episode. A earthquake associated with the eruption: A shallow magnitude-2 earthquake was detected beneath the southeast corner of Halema’uma’u crater at 2:52 p.m.
According to the National Weather Service, low-level trade winds were forecast to move the lower part of the plume to the southwest, resulting in tephra fall in that direction.
South winds are expected, which could push parts of the plume to the north and result in ash and Pele’s hair falling in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and communities near it.
Ash can persist in the atmosphere for a longer duration depending on weather and wind conditions, though fountaining episodes generally last 12 hours or less.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.