Webcams Crucial for Monitoring Kilauea's Historic Eruption

Hawaii Volcano Observatory staff work to maintain livestreaming cameras during ongoing lava fountains at Kilauea's summit.

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

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The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is relying on a network of webcams to provide 24/7 monitoring of the ongoing episodic lava fountains at the summit of Kilauea volcano. The webcams, including three livestreaming cameras, allow viewers around the world to witness the dynamic volcanic activity in real-time. HVO staff work to maintain and upgrade the cameras, which have become an indispensable tool for understanding the eruption.

Why it matters

Visual observations have long been crucial for understanding volcanoes, and technological advancements like livestreaming webcams allow volcanic eruptions to be viewed globally. The Kilauea webcams provide valuable data and insights that help volcanologists better comprehend the mechanisms behind the ongoing eruption.

The details

HVO currently has three livestreaming webcams positioned around Kilauea's summit caldera, providing different angles and viewpoints on the lava fountains. Maintaining these cameras requires constant work by HVO's field engineers, IT specialists, and geologists, who must upgrade equipment, swap out data storage, and adjust the cameras as needed. One camera was even destroyed by a particularly large lava fountain in December 2025, but HVO was able to quickly deploy a replacement.

  • The original livestreaming camera, V1cam, went online in 2023.
  • Episode 38 lava fountain destroyed the V3cam on December 6, 2025.
  • Episode 42 lava fountaining occurred for just under 10 hours on February 15, 2026.
  • Preliminary models suggest episode 43 could occur between March 5 and 20, 2026.

The players

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

The USGS agency responsible for monitoring and studying volcanoes in Hawaii, including Kilauea.

Pliny the Younger

A Roman author who provided one of the earliest detailed descriptions of a volcanic eruption, that of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Artemus Bishop

An early missionary who witnessed and recorded observations of Kilauea volcano in 1826.

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What’s next

Preliminary models suggest episode 43 of the Kilauea eruption could occur between March 5 and 20, 2026, and HVO staff will continue monitoring the webcams to track the volcano's activity.

The takeaway

The Kilauea webcams provide a unique window into the dynamic processes of an active volcano, allowing viewers around the world to witness volcanic eruptions in real-time and furthering our scientific understanding of these powerful natural phenomena.