(ABOVE VIDEO) This morning’s Civil Defense Lava Flow Map – updated Sunday, 12/21/14 at 7:00 am

UPDATE – 8 p.m. HST

• SLOW DOWN CONTINUES: This afternoon’s civil defense assessment shows that the flow front remains active and has advanced 35 yards since 6:30 a.m. this morning. The front remains .6 miles upslope of the Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road intersection.

Tonight’s view (Dec. 21) looking west from a USGS research webcam temporarily positioned southeast of the Pāhoa Marketplace. The glow from the June 27th lava flow, advancing from left to right, appears to be diminished compared to webcam views on previous nights.

NEWS BRIEFS

• The lava flow front slowed today, advancing 85 yards since 6:30 a.m. yesterday morning. The front remains 0.6 miles upslope of the Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road intersection. USGS reports the front was 110 yards wide yesterday, moving sluggishly through rough, hazardous terrain.
• The Railroad Avenue alternate access road was opened to the public on Saturday. Highway 130 remains open and there is no anticipated road closure at this time.

MEDIA

This morning’s Hawaii County Civil Defense message (Dec. 21)

PRIMARY SOURCES

This morning’s assessment shows that the flow front remains active and continues to advance in an east-northeast direction.The flow front remains narrow and continues to advance slowly. The active flow had advanced approximately 85 yards since 6:30 a.m. yesterday morning and the front remains approximately 0.6 miles upslope of the Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road intersection. Current activity does not pose an immediate threat to area communities and Civil Defense and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory personnel are maintaining close observations of the flow. Residents and businesses down slope will be kept informed of any changes in flow activity, advancement, and status. As the flow activity continues to show signs of advancement, businesses in the Pahoa Market Place are taking necessary steps to prepare for a possible evacuation. Motorists are advised to drive with caution and to be prepared for increased traffic and large vehicles in the area.

Smoke conditions in the immediate area were moderate with a light trade wind blowing the smoke in a south/southeast direction. Smoke conditions may increase in some areas and individuals who may be sensitive or have respiratory problems are advised to take necessary precautions and to remain indoors.

The Railroad Avenue alternate access road has been opened for use starting yesterday, Saturday December 20th from 12:00 noon. This is to allow for motorists to become familiar with the road and traffic flow. Highway 130 remains open and there is no anticipated road closure at this time.

On behalf of the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency and our partners we would like to thank everyone for your assistance and cooperation Hawaii County Civil Defense on Dec. 21 at 8 a.m. HST

Kīlauea Volcano continues to erupt at its summit and within its East Rift Zone. A lava flow front consisting of north and south branches remains active, although the southern branch has been stalled since Friday. The northern branch of the flow front has slowed over the past several days, advancing ~78 m (~85 yds) since yesterday morning according to Civil Defense. Summit tilt, and tilt at at Puʻu ʻŌʻō are both currently flat.

June 27th Lava Flow Observations: HVO, along with Civil Defense, is monitoring a flow front progressing towards the Pāhoa Marketplace. Civil Defense reported this morning that the leading edge of the active flow had advanced about 78 m (85) yards since their Saturday morning flight, and is currently about 0.6 miles (1.0 km) up slope from the intersection of Highway 130 and Pāhoa Village Rd. This number reflects an overall decrease of advancement rate during the past several days. The descent path of this branch, if it continues to be followed, will take the flow to the Pāhoa Marketplace. Saturday’s HVO ground crew reported that the active flow front was about 100 m (110 yards) wide by midday and was moving sluggishly through rough, hazardous terrain. Saturday’s HVO observations also showed that the southern branch of the active flow front remained stalled as it had been since Friday. In addition to the active northern flow front, breakouts from the lava tube on December 5, about 2.6 km (1.6 mi) from Puʻu ʻŌʻō reported as active on Thursday’s HVO overflight, appear to still be burning vegetation.

Puʻu ʻŌʻō Observations: No significant change in ground tilt has been observed in the past 24 hours, and overall for the last week ground tilt measured at the cone has been minor and deflationary. All other monitoring data indicate no significant changes at Puʻu ʻŌʻō. Seismic tremor is 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 no net extension nor contraction since July. The most recent measurement of sulfur dioxide emissions from the East Rift Zone was about 300 tonnes per day on December 11, 2014.

Summit Observations: A tiltmeter at Kīlauea’s summit recorded normal inflationary tilt, recovering mostly from the deflation/inflation event that ended yesterday morning. Overall, the trend of summit tilt for the past week has been one of gentle decline. The summit lava lake has shown the usual fluctuations associated with changes in spattering behavior, which are also manifested as variations in tremor amplitudes and gas release. Small amounts of particulate material were carried aloft by the plume. The average emission rate of sulfur dioxide ranged between 3,100 and 6,500 tonnes/day for the week ending on December 16 USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Dec. 21 at 9:06 a.m. HST