A live camera at Hawaiʻi’s Kīlauea volcano captured a rare sight this week — a swirling “volnado” forming next to a fountain of lava, the latest dramatic reminder of the mountain’s restless nature.
The video released by the US Geological Survey (USGS) shows a column of ash sucked into a whirling vortex as molten rock bursts skyward.
The spinning cloud resembled a tornado — but with volcanic heat fueling its rise.
“We know you’ve heard of a volcano … but how about a volnado?” the USGS joked in a social media post that quickly spread across science and nature forums.
USGS Volcanoes/X
According to scientists, these whirlwinds appear when scorching air from erupting lava collides with cooler air above the crater. The turbulent mix can twist into a visible vortex, sometimes carrying ash and gas hundreds of feet into the sky.
This week’s activity marked the 32nd eruptive episode at Kīlauea since December, underscoring the volcano’s reputation as one of the most active on Earth. The eruption ended abruptly overnight, and officials said no homes or communities were threatened.
Kīlauea, located on Hawaiʻi’s Big Island about 200 miles south of Honolulu, sits within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
Its Halemaʻumaʻu crater — long considered in Hawaiian tradition the home of the volcano goddess Pele — has been dramatically reshaped in recent years.
A massive 2018 collapse carved out new landscapes, while more recent eruptions have built fresh lava lakes and gas vents.
The USGS maintains several livestream cameras trained on the crater, offering the public a rare real-time look at volcanic activity.
Volcanologists frequently track the feeds because they provide valuable data on eruption dynamics.
For visitors and residents, they are a mesmerizing window into the forces shaping the island.
Scientists stress that while “volnados” may look unusual, they are not entirely unexpected. Similar whirlwinds have been documented during past Kīlauea eruptions, as well as at volcanoes in Alaska and Iceland.
They rarely pose additional hazards beyond the eruption itself.
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