(ABOVE VIDEO) This morning’s Civil Defense message with video courtesy the County of Hawaii (filmed upslope on Nov. 29).

NEWS BRIEFS

• The furthest down slope breakout has become the new flow front. It advanced approximately 400 yards since yesterday, civil defense reports, and is now measured as 2.9 miles upslope of the Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road intersection.
• Civil defense says current activity does not pose an immediate threat to area communities and Civil Defense and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory personnel are maintaining close observations of flow activity.

PRIMARY SOURCES

This morning’s helicopter assessment shows that the breakouts remain active and the furthest down slope breakout has become the new flow front. The active flow is located approximately 2.9 miles upslope of the Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road intersection. The flow had advanced approximately 400 yards since yesterday. Current activity does not pose an immediate threat to area communities and Civil Defense and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory personnel are maintaining close observations of flow activity. Residents down slope will be kept informed of any changes in flow activity, advancement, and status.

Smoke conditions were light this morning in the immediate area with all smoke from burning vegetation being blown in a southeast direction. Smoke conditions may increase in some areas and residents that may be sensitive or have respiratory problems are advised to take precautions and to remain indoors.

The Pahoa Village Road remains open to all traffic and motorists are advised to exercise caution as some utility pole protection material remains in place. Everyone is asked to please respect the residents of the area who were affected by the lava flow and to not trespass on private property.

Once again we would like to thank everyone for your patience and understanding and your cooperation and assistance is greatly appreciated. Hawaii County Civil Defense on Dec. 1 at 7:45 a.m. HST

Over the past several days, the lowermost breakouts on the flow field have advanced by several hundred meters a day, as measured by satellite imagery and webcam views of the smoke plume from burning vegetation. The most active parts of the flow are to the north of the existing flow field. A Civil Defense overflight on Monday morning confirmed that the front is about 3.7 km (2.3 miles) above Apaʻa Street. Satellite imagery also indicates breakout activity where lava exits the crack system and takes a prominent northward bend, as well as about 2 km (1.2 miles) downslope from Puʻu ʻŌʻō. An HVO overflight is planned for later today to investigate these breakouts and map overall changes on the flow field over the past week.

Puʻu ʻŌʻō Observations: The tiltmeter on the north flank of Puʻu ʻŌʻō cone continues to show deflation, probably related to the currently ongoing DI event. No other changes have been detected at Puʻu ʻŌʻō for several days. Seismic tremor continues to be low and steady, and webcams revealed no strong variations in the pattern of glow from degassing vents or the configuration of the crater floor. GPS-measured deformation across the cone has shown neither extension nor contraction since July. The most recent measurement of sulfur dioxide emissions from the East Rift Zone was about 250 tonnes per day on November 26, 2014.

Summit Observations: The DI deflation that began early on Saturday morning is continuing, and the lava level experienced a slight drop over the past day as is usual during deflationary periods. As of Monday morning, the lava lake was 57 meters (187 yards) below the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater. Fluctuations in lava level due to spattering were superimposed on that drop, and seismic tremor amplitudes varied accordingly. Small amounts of particulate material were carried aloft by the plume. The average emission rate of sulfur dioxide was 6,900 tonnes/day for the week ending on November 25USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Dec. 1 at 8:56 a.m. HST