1 V1cam: west rim of Halemaʻumaʻu
West rim of Halemaʻumaʻu, Kīlauea summit
Live videoUSGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
The livestream to open first when lava is up; glow shows best after dark.
HAWAIʻI ISLAND · VOLCANO TO SUMMIT · LIVE
Big Island Live Cams: Kīlauea, Mauna Loa and Maunakea
Tuesday, November 10 at 4:21 PM HST
Daylight on the Big Island.
Kona or Hilo: which side is drier now?
Drier right now: Kailua-Kona (Kona coast), as usual.
Kailua-Kona Kona coast (leeward)
Overcast · 81°F · 96% cloud
Next 6 h: no rain.
Wind SW 3 mph.
Hilo Hilo side (windward)
Drizzle · 76°F · 100% cloud
Next 6 h: 0.14 in rain.
Wind NE 4 mph.
Kīlauea summit Where the volcano cams are
Overcast · 64°F · 99% cloud
Next 6 h: 0.01 in rain.
Wind NNE 12 mph.
Open-ocean waves: off Kona 3.4 ft from the WNW at 11 s; off Hilo 7.4 ft from the NE at 9 s (model, not breaking surf).
Open-Meteo, 4:15 p.m. HST; showers are local, so check the cams.
Map of the Big Island cameras
- V1cam: west rim of Halemaʻumaʻu
- V2cam: east rim of Halemaʻumaʻu
- V3cam: south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu
- F1cam: thermal view into the crater
- K2cam: from Uēkahuna bluff
- MUcam: Mauna Ulu
- MKcam: Mauna Loa from Maunakea
- Mauna Loa Observatory
Volcano cams sit at the feature each is named for. Coastline © OpenStreetMap contributors. Interactive map
The cameras at a glance
Hawaiʻi time; offline cameras drop to the bottom.
- 1 V1cam: west rim of Halemaʻumaʻu HST East across the crater
- 2 V2cam: east rim of Halemaʻumaʻu HST West across the crater
- 3 V3cam: south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu HST North across the crater
- 4 F1cam: thermal view into the crater HST Into the crater, in thermal
- 5 K2cam: from Uēkahuna bluff HST South-east across the caldera
- 6 MUcam: Mauna Ulu HST Across the upper East Rift Zone
- 7 MKcam: Mauna Loa from Maunakea HST South across the saddle to Mauna Loa
- 8 Mauna Loa Observatory HST North towards Maunakea
Kīlauea: the summit and the rift
USGS streams Halemaʻumaʻu crater from three rims and posts stills from more cameras.
2 V2cam: east rim of Halemaʻumaʻu
East rim of Halemaʻumaʻu
Live videoUSGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
The same crater from the other side, often clearer when the plume blows west.
3 V3cam: south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu
South rim of Halemaʻumaʻu
Live videoUSGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Side-on to the crater floor, the view for judging fountain height.
4 F1cam: thermal view into the crater
Halemaʻumaʻu rim
SnapshotUSGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Colour is temperature, so it tells fresh lava from mere light, day or night.
5 K2cam: from Uēkahuna bluff
Uēkahuna bluff, north-west rim of the caldera
SnapshotUSGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
The wide view of the summit and its gas plume from the high north-west rim.
6 MUcam: Mauna Ulu
Mauna Ulu, on Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone
SnapshotUSGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
A still camera on the upper East Rift Zone, quiet unless magma moves east.
Mauna Loa and Maunakea
Earth’s largest active volcano, and the observatories above the clouds.
7 MKcam: Mauna Loa from Maunakea
Maunakea, looking south
SnapshotUSGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
The long view of Mauna Loa, often above a sea of cloud; clearest in the morning.
8 Mauna Loa Observatory
Mauna Loa Observatory, high on Mauna Loa’s north flank
SnapshotNOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory
NOAA’s view across the saddle to Maunakea, usually above the cloud deck.
Is Kīlauea erupting? And the coast
Since 23 December 2024 Kīlauea has erupted in episodes: hours of fountaining, then days of pause. Is Kīlauea erupting right now? shows USGS’s current alert level; Kīlauea live has every crater cam.
No Big Island beach cam is live on Port of Cams. FAA weather cameras cover the coasts:
- ʻUpolu weather camera The northern tip.
- Waimea weather camera The uplands between Kohala and Maunakea.
- Laupāhoehoe weather camera The Hāmākua coast, north of Hilo.
- Kealia weather camera South Kona.
Sources: USGS: Kīlauea · USGS: Mauna Loa · all Hawaiʻi FAA cameras
Why one side is sunnier
Trade winds drop their rain on windward coasts; leeward areas tend to be sunny and dry (NWS). NOAA’s 1991–2020 averages:
| Station | Year · Dec–Feb · Jun–Aug |
|---|---|
| Kona International Airport (Keāhole)Kona coast (leeward) | 9.87 in · 3.58 in · 1.79 in |
| Hilo International AirportHilo side (windward) | 120.39 in · 30.15 in · 27.84 in |
Hilo International Airport gets about 12 times the rain of Kona International Airport (Keāhole).
Sources: NWS Honolulu: Climate of Hawaii · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 (USW00021510, USW00021504)
Best time to watch
Daylight for the summit views, night for lava glow.
| Kailua-Kona, the 15th | Sunrise · sunset (HST) |
|---|---|
| December | 6:52 a.m. · 5:49 p.m. |
| January | 7:02 a.m. · 6:06 p.m. |
| March | 6:33 a.m. · 6:34 p.m. |
| June | 5:46 a.m. · 7:05 p.m. |
| September | 6:12 a.m. · 6:28 p.m. |
Questions
Is there a live cam of the Kīlauea volcano?
Yes: USGS streams Halemaʻumaʻu, the summit crater, live from three rims, plus stills from more cameras including a thermal one. All are on this page.
Are there beach cams on the Big Island?
Not on Port of Cams right now: we haven’t found a beach stream we can verify and keep running. The FAA weather cameras linked here cover the coasts.
Which side of the Big Island is drier, Kona or Hilo?
Kona, by far: NOAA’s normals give Kona International Airport 9.87 inches of rain a year and Hilo International Airport 120.39.
Is there a live cam of Mauna Loa?
Yes: USGS points a camera from Maunakea at Mauna Loa, and NOAA’s observatory camera on Mauna Loa looks across at Maunakea.
What time is it on the Big Island?
Hawaiʻi Standard Time (UTC−10) all year, with no daylight saving. Lava glow shows best at night.
Feeds belong to their operators. Weather: Open-Meteo. Climate: NWS and NOAA NCEI.
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