Rare ‘volnado’ phenomenon swirls during dramatic Kilauea eruption in Hawaii

Hawaii's Kilauea volcano’s latest eruption has produced a swirling cloud dubbed a “volnado”. Footage captured by the US Geological Survey (USGS) on Tuesday (2 September) shows the tornado spinning in front of a bright orange wall of magma fountains that spouted hundreds of feet into the air. The rare weather phenomenon occurs when extreme volcanic heat mixes with cooler air, resulting in a swirling mix of dust, pumice and ash. "We know you’ve heard of a volcano, but how about a volnado?”, the USGS joked in a post on X. Kilauea has been erupting lava from its summit crater about once every week since last December, drawing in tourists keen to glimpse the spectacle.