The Kīlauea volcano kicked off a whirlwind. Photo: USGS
Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano is an amazing display of nature. So amazing that the USGS has a live stream of it on YouTube. Viewers watching that live stream on the afternoon of September 2 were treated to something more incredible than spewing lava 1,000 feet into the air: spewing lava and a whirlwind created by it.
“We know you’ve heard of a volcano…but how about a volnado?” the USGS wrote on social media. “This afternoon, during episode 32 fountaining at Kīlauea the V3 live camera caught this whirlwind kicking up loose ash deposits along the active fountain and flow within Halemaʻumaʻu crater.”
Although it sure does look like something super rare, it’s actually not — it’s just that we’re generally not standing close to erupting volcanoes for long enough to see them with our naked eyes.
“These whirlwinds, which can also occur on the crater rim downwind of the eruption (within the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park),” USGS explained, “have been documented during several eruptive episodes and are caused by the chaotic and turbulent mixing of hot and cold air.”
We know you’ve heard of a volcano…but how about a volnado?
This afternoon, during episode 32 fountaining at Kīlauea the V3 live camera (https://t.co/tCc5xGmMcO) caught this whirlwind kicking up loose ash deposits along the active fountain and flow within Halemaʻumaʻu crater. pic.twitter.com/wCwhZgoFV8
— USGS Volcanoes? (@USGSVolcanoes) September 3, 2025
