Hundreds of earthquakes took place over the weekend in Hawaii, the U.S. Geological Survey said, indicating a possible volcanic eruption in the state.

The heap of earthquakes, with rates reaching nearly 30 events each hour, were centralized to Kīlauea on Hawaii’s Big Island, the USGS reported. The volcano is along the southeastern shore of the island.

“There were over 300 earthquakes detected beneath the summit over the past 24 hours, mostly below the south caldera region at depths of 1.5–3 km (1–1.8 mi),” a USGS public notice reads. “This earthquake count is more than triple the rate of several days ago, reflecting a seismic swarm that began with M2.9 and M3.4 earthquakes in the afternoon of June 27.”

So far, the largest one, a magnitude 3.2 temblor, took place Monday at 1:31 a.m. local time, less than 4 miles south of Volcano in Hawaii County.

Increasing seismic activity is a sign of pending volcano eruption, according to the USGS.

“Any substantial increases in seismicity and/or deformation could result in a new eruptive episode but there are no signs of an imminent eruption at this time,” the USGS issued in a report Saturday.

Is the Kilaueo volcano erupting?

As of Monday morning, the Kilauea volcano −one of the world’s most active volcanoes − was not erupting.

The Kilaueo volcano last erupted June 3 about a mile south of Kilauea caldera within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, a popular tourist destination.

It marked the first eruption in that region of the volcano in about 50 years. The last one took place in December 1974.

The current USGS Volcano Alert Level remains at “ADVISORY” and the federal agency reported the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is closely monitoring the Kīlauea Volcano.

Contributing: Christopher Cann.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

Despite vacation rental crackdowns and looming legislative reforms, vacation rental supply statewide still accounts for a significant portion of Hawaii’s housing stock.

That’s why the conversion of vacation rentals into longer-term housing is seen by some as a solution that could satisfy critical housing demand in Hawaii. But so far, regulatory policies have not led to an aggregate shift toward the long-term market, as other short-term rental listings have entered the market in response, said Justin Tyndall, an author of the Hawai‘i Housing Factbook 2024, which was released in May by the nomic Research Organization, where he works as an assistant professor of economics.University of Hawaii Eco

The fact book cites statistics from the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, which estimates that there are 32,000 STRs in the state, accounting for nearly 6% of the state’s entire housing inventory. While STRs aren’t necessarily in use daily, DBEDT data indicates that active listings increased 9% from 2022 to 2023.

Though Hawaii expanded its housing stock by 25,000 units, or 1.8%, from 2018 to 2022, UHERO noted that the growth was only on Oahu, which had a net increase of 23,000, and Hawaii County, which added 2,600 units. The report said Kauai and Maui saw a net loss of units, likely because “the rate of new construction has been unable to keep up with losses to the vacation rental market.”

So far, Maui is the only country to introduce a bill to amortize vacation rentals since the state gave the counties greater power to chart their own course. Kauai is staying the course. Hawaii island is working on vacation rental reforms but does not plan to amortize them.

(NewsNation) — Mexican drug cartels are expanding their reach to Hawaii, flooding the islands with methamphetamine and fentanyl, according to recent reports.

The remote location and limited law enforcement resources make Hawaii an attractive target for powerful cartels like Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Drugs are smuggled through various routes, including air passengers’ luggage, mailed packages and body carriers flying into Honolulu.

The lack of competition allows cartels to charge higher prices. An oxycodone pill selling for $2 in Los Angeles can fetch $16 or more in Hawaii.

This influx has contributed to a surge in fentanyl overdose deaths. Hawaii ranked seventh nationally with a 27% increase in fentanyl-related deaths in 2023, according to Families Against Fentanyl.

Authorities are responding to the crisis. Dennis Francis Kaleohano Kelly of Tucson, Arizona, was recently sentenced to 14 years in prison for distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine to Hawaii and New Mexico.

He had been arrested in 2021 after receiving a shipment of 10,000 fentanyl pills from a drug courier.

Honolulu has mandated that bars, nightclubs and restaurants carry the anti-overdose medication Narcan. The state is also implementing a five-year plan to promote comprehensive mental health and drug addiction treatments.