(ABOVE) Image from this morning’s Hawaii County Civil Defense overflight at 6:30 am.

NEWS BRIEFS

• The leading edge remains stalled, however some surface activity continues 200 yards upslope of the flow front.
• Two breakouts along the north margin approximately 1 to 1.5 miles upslope or behind the flow front remain active and have advanced approximately 150 yards since yesterday in a north direction.
• Tomorrow, the Railroad Avenue Alternate Access Road will be closed to all traffic. Civil defense says the closure is necessary to allow for road maintenance and to preserve the road until such time that it is needed.

MEDIA

This morning’s Civil Defense message:

RECENT RELATED VIDEO

PRIMARY SOURCES

Today’s assessment shows that the flow front and south margin breakout remain stalled and there has been no advancement since Friday. The front or leading edge is located 0.5 miles upslope of the Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road intersection. Some surface activity continues approximately 200 yards above or upslope of the flow front. Two breakouts along the north margin approximately 1-1.5 miles upslope or behind the flow front remain active and have advanced approximately 150 yards since yesterday in a north direction. Other surface breakouts and activity along both margins continues upslope 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 conditions were moderate this morning with a light north/northeast wind blowing the smoke in a southwest 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 will be closed to all traffic effective 12:00 noon Wednesday January 7th. This closure is necessary to allow for road maintenance and to preserve the road until such time that it is needed. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and understanding with this closure and assure the community that the alternate access roads will be opened well in advance of any threat or impact of the lava flow.

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 Jan. 6 at 8:15 a.m. HST

Civil Defense Lava Flow Map – Updated Tuesday, 1/6/15 at 7:00 am

Kīlauea Volcano continues to erupt at its summit and within its East Rift Zone. In the East Rift Zone, the tip of the June 27th lava flow remained stalled, however, active surface breakouts up slope of the front continue. Breakouts along the north margin of the flow approximately 1.5 – 2.5 km (1.0-1.5 miles) upslope of the flow tip continue to advance. Minor changes in ground tilt were recorded over the past day at the summit and at Puʻu ʻŌʻō.

June 27th Lava Flow Observations: HVO webcam images show that active surface breakouts continue up slope of the stalled tip of the flow. The stalled tip is approximately 800 m (0.5 miles or 880 yards) from the intersection of Highway 130 and Pāhoa Village Road, and about 530 m (580 yards or 0.3 miles) up slope of the Pāhoa Marketplace. Breakouts along the north margin of the flow approximately 1.5 – 2.5 km (1.0 – 1.5 miles) upslope of the flow front continue to advance. The next HVO over flight is scheduled for today, weather permitting.

Puʻu ʻŌʻō Observations: Very minor fluctuations in ground tilt were recorded at Puʻu ʻŌʻō over the past day. All other monitoring data indicated 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: A minor amount of inflationary ground tilt has been recorded at the summit since yesterday afternoon. Shallow earthquakes continued beneath the south caldera with typical numbers of small earthquakes occurring in the summit area overall. 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. The lava level was measured at around 50 m (55 yards) below the lip of the Overlook crater yesterday. Small amounts of particulate material were carried aloft by the plume. The average emission rate of sulfur dioxide was around 6,000 tonnes/day for the week ending on December 31USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Jan. 6 at 9:38 a.m. HST