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Hawaii lava flow approaching homes slows down

This Monday, Sept. 15, 2014, photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows a geologist from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory using a radar gun to measure the speed of the lava flow from the June 27th flow from the Kilauea volcano in Pahoa, Hawaii. On Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014, Hawaii County spokesman Kevin Dayton said the slow-moving lava is expected to bypass homes in the Kaohe Homesteads subdivision, and the lava is about 19 days from reaching Pahoa Village Road. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) This Monday, Sept. 15, 2014, photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows a geologist from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory using a radar gun to measure the speed of the lava flow from the June 27th flow from the Kilauea volcano in Pahoa, Hawaii. On Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014, Hawaii County spokesman Kevin Dayton said the slow-moving lava is expected to bypass homes in the Kaohe Homesteads subdivision, and the lava is about 19 days from reaching Pahoa Village Road. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey)

By Associated Press September 20, 2014 1 min read

HONOLULU (AP) – Scientists say lava creeping toward rural communities on Hawaii’s Big Island is slowing down.

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said on its website Saturday that the flow front has slowed considerably over the past day and there has been a reduction in smoke.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser (http://bit.ly/1tHXWfr) reports that the flow is about 1.4 miles upslope from the outskirts of the Pahoa community and has advanced more than 10 miles from its source at Pu’u ‘O’o crater.

The lava emerged from a vent on June 27.