(ABOVE VIDEO) Image from yesterday’s overflight footage by Mick Kalber (video below) shows lava approaching Pahoa Marketplace.

NEWS BRIEFS

• The lava flow front has advanced 40 yards since yesterday morning. Civil defense says the front appears very sluggish but remains active.
• The leading edge remains .5 miles upslope of the Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road intersection and approximately 660 yards from the Pahoa Market Place complex.

MEDIA

The December 30 civil defense audio message:

RECENT RELATED VIDEO

PRIMARY SOURCES

This morning’s assessment shows that the flow front remains active however very sluggish and has advanced approximately 40 yards since yesterday morning. The front or leading edge remains .5 miles upslope of the Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road intersection and approximately 660 yards from the Pahoa Market Place complex. The surface breakouts and activity along both margins continues upslope of the front however current activity does not pose an immediate threat to area communities. 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.

Smoke and combined VOG conditions were light to moderate this morning with light south wind blowing the smoke and VOG across the entire eastern areas from Puna through Hilo. Smoke and VOG conditions may increase in some areas and individuals that may be sensitive or have respiratory problems are advised to take necessary precautions and to remain indoors.

The Railroad Avenue alternate access road remains opened to allow for motorists to become familiar with the road and traffic flow. Motorists are advised to remain on the designated route and comply with the posted speed limit. 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. 30 at 8 a.m. HST

Kīlauea Volcano continues to erupt at its summit and within its East Rift Zone. According to Civil Defense the front of the lava flow closest to Pāhoa advanced 37 m (40 yards) since yesterday morning. The flow remains active behind the front in several areas.

June 27th Lava Flow Observations: Civil Defense reported this morning that the leading tip of the active flow advanced 37 m (40 yards) since yesterday morning. According to Civil Defense the flow front is now 604 m (0.4 miles or 660 yards) from the Pāhoa Marketplace and 800 m (0.5 miles or 880 yards) from the intersection of Highway 130 and Pāhoa Village Road. The flow continues to have surface breakouts behind the flow front as of this morning according to HVO webcams and Civil Defense. An HVO overflight is scheduled for this afternoon.

Puʻu ʻŌʻō Observations: Minor deflationary tilt continued at Pu’u O’o over the past 24 hours. All other monitoring data indicate no significant changes at Puʻu ʻŌʻō. The most recent measurement of sulfur dioxide emissions from all East Rift Zone vents was about 250 tonnes per day on December 19, 2014.

Summit Observations: Tiltmeters at Kīlauea’s summit recorded a full, but minor, DI tilt event yesterday and resumed minor deflationary tilt since 5:30 AM this morning. The summit lava lake level was measured at a depth of 49 m (160 ft) below the rim of Overlook crater yesterday morning. 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 5,500 and 7,700 tonnes/day for the week ending on December 23USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Dec. 30 at 8:24 a.m. HST