Is Etna erupting now?
The latest official information about Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy: the observatory's own notices with the time each was issued, earthquakes nearby, ash warnings for aircraft and the links to check before you travel. Read from INGV Osservatorio Etneo (Catania) and Italy's Civil Protection department.
No. INGV's latest aviation notice for Etna, issued 16 Oct 2026, 12:27 UTC, is code green: no eruption, the volcano is in its normal state.
This page repeats what the official sources publish. It does not forecast eruptions and does not say whether travel is safe; follow the observatory, the Civil Protection and your airline.
Some of this is not the latest data. One or more sources could not be reached, so the last copy read is shown with the time it was read. Check the official links below.
Official status
| What | Level | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aviation colour code (VONA) | Green (1 of 4) No eruption: the volcano is in its normal, non-eruptive state, or activity has ended. |
issued 16 Oct 2026, 12:27 UTC | INGV Osservatorio Etneo |
| Civil Protection alert level | Yellow (attention) (2 of 4) Monitoring parameters above their usual values; monitoring and planning are stepped up. |
read 19 Oct 2026, 13:09 UTC | Dipartimento della Protezione Civile |
| Latest weekly bulletin | Bollettino Settimanale sul monitoraggio multiparametrico del vulcano Etna del 13/10/2026 | 13 Oct 2026 | INGV Osservatorio Etneo (PDF, Italian) |
The aviation colour code tells pilots about ash and eruptions; a new notice is issued each time it changes, so an older notice is still the one in force. The Civil Protection alert level is a separate scale, for people on the ground.
Recent aviation notices for Etna
| Issued | Colour code | Notice |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Oct 2026, 12:27 UTC | Green (1 of 4) | Notice |
| 3 Oct 2026, 06:29 UTC | Yellow (2 of 4) | Notice |
| 29 Sep 2026, 07:51 UTC | Orange (3 of 4) | Notice |
| 29 Sep 2026, 05:25 UTC | Red (4 of 4) | Notice |
| 28 Sep 2026, 16:22 UTC | Orange (3 of 4) | Notice |
| 26 Sep 2026, 06:33 UTC | Red (4 of 4) | Notice |
| 24 Sep 2026, 05:19 UTC | Red (4 of 4) | Notice |
| 22 Sep 2026, 16:04 UTC | Orange (3 of 4) | Notice |
| 18 Sep 2026, 05:16 UTC | Orange (3 of 4) | Notice |
| 16 Sep 2026, 18:11 UTC | Red (4 of 4) | Notice |
| 15 Sep 2026, 16:37 UTC | Orange (3 of 4) | Notice |
| 14 Sep 2026, 04:43 UTC | Red (4 of 4) | Notice |
Ash warnings for aircraft
No volcanic ash SIGMET naming Etna is in force in the U.S. Aviation Weather Center's worldwide data (read 19 Oct 2026, 17:00 UTC (last good copy)). Every ash warning in force worldwide is on volcanic ash advisories.
Airports and flights
This page does not show flight status: airlines and airports decide whether to fly. Check with your airline and the airport before you travel.
- Catania airport (CTA), official site
- Etna's ash halted arrivals at Catania airport in August 2026. (Euronews, 10 Aug 2026)
- Flight operations at Catania were suspended again in late September 2026, before INGV lowered its aviation code from red to orange. (Il Sole 24 Ore)
Earthquakes near Etna
14 earthquakes within 25 km in the last 30 days (magnitude 1.5 and up), 3 of magnitude 2.5 or more, 0 in the last 24 hours. The largest was magnitude 3.2 on 18 Oct 2026, 04:20 UTC, 9.5 km from the centre.
Earthquakes per day (UTC), oldest on the left; the tallest bar is 6.
| Time (UTC) | Magnitude | Depth | Distance | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Oct 11:08 | 1.8 ML | 5.1 km | 9.7 km | 7 km SE Bronte (CT) |
| 18 Oct 11:07 | 1.9 ML | 5.4 km | 10.4 km | 7 km SE Bronte (CT) |
| 18 Oct 10:02 | 2.5 ML | 5.8 km | 10.3 km | 7 km SE Bronte (CT) |
| 18 Oct 04:20 | 3.2 ML | 5.9 km | 9.5 km | 7 km SE Bronte (CT) |
| 18 Oct 02:27 | 2.5 ML | 6.9 km | 9.6 km | 7 km SE Bronte (CT) |
| 18 Oct 02:22 | 2.1 ML | 4.9 km | 10.3 km | 7 km SE Bronte (CT) |
| 12 Oct 10:42 | 1.7 ML | 7.8 km | 9.9 km | 1 km W Milo (CT) |
| 12 Oct 05:23 | 2.0 ML | 16.2 km | 18.2 km | 4 km W Bronte (CT) |
| 11 Oct 09:40 | 1.7 ML | 24.8 km | 11.7 km | 6 km SW Moio Alcantara (ME) |
| 8 Oct 21:08 | 1.6 ML | 2.7 km | 11.6 km | 3 km NE Ragalna (CT) |
| 7 Oct 20:30 | 2.2 ML | 23.1 km | 18.9 km | 6 km SW Bronte (CT) |
| 7 Oct 05:08 | 1.7 ML | 5.5 km | 11.2 km | 6 km W Linguaglossa (CT) |
| 7 Oct 00:55 | 1.8 ML | 25.0 km | 11.4 km | 4 km S Randazzo (CT) |
| 25 Sep 05:33 | 1.8 ML | 5.3 km | 9.5 km | 2 km W Zafferana Etnea (CT) |
From the INGV earthquake catalogue (FDSN web service), CC BY 4.0, read 19 Oct 2026, 18:40 UTC. Distance is from 37.751, 14.993. INGV Osservatorio Etneo (Catania)'s own catalogue lists more of the smallest quakes.
Reported on this site near Etna
- Minor Italy: Eruption Etna Sep 27, 2026, 1 km away
- Moderate Active Fire Zone — 41 satellite detections (24h) Sep 1, 2026, 21 km away
- Moderate Active Fire Zone — 45 satellite detections (24h) Aug 31, 2026, 21 km away
- Moderate Active Fire Zone — 49 satellite detections (24h) Aug 30, 2026, 21 km away
- Moderate Active Fire Zone — 25 satellite detections (24h) Aug 22, 2026, 8 km away
- Moderate Active Fire Zone — 27 satellite detections (24h) Aug 19, 2026, 5 km away
- Moderate Active Fire Zone — 73 satellite detections (24h) Aug 18, 2026, 8 km away
- Moderate Active Fire Zone — 33 satellite detections (24h) Aug 17, 2026, 8 km away
- Moderate Active Fire Zone — 42 satellite detections (24h) Aug 16, 2026, 5 km away
- Moderate Active Fire Zone — 36 satellite detections (24h) Aug 11, 2026, 5 km away
- Moderate Active Fire Zone — 60 satellite detections (24h) Aug 10, 2026, 3 km away
- Moderate Active Fire Zone — 30 satellite detections (24h) Aug 7, 2026, 8 km away
Official sources
- INGV Osservatorio Etneo (Catania)
- INGV-OE volcanic activity statements (Italian)
- INGV-OE aviation notices (VONA)
- INGV-OE webcams (link only)
- Civil Protection: Etna (Italian)
- Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre
Other volcanoes: Stromboli · Campi Flegrei · Reykjanes · all volcano status pages · active volcanoes worldwide.
Questions
Is Etna erupting now?
No. INGV's latest aviation notice for Etna, issued 16 Oct 2026, 12:27 UTC, is code green: no eruption, the volcano is in its normal state. INGV issues a new aviation notice each time the code changes, so an older notice is still the one in force.
Are flights to Catania cancelled because of Etna?
This page does not show flight status. When Etna puts ash into the air, Catania airport can reduce or suspend flights, as it did in August and September 2026. Check Catania airport's official site and your airline before you travel; the ash warnings for aircraft are listed on this page and on /volcanic-ash-advisories.
What do the colours in Etna's aviation notice mean?
Green: no eruption. Yellow: unrest above background. Orange: an eruption with little or no ash, or a raised chance of eruption. Red: an eruption with significant ash. The Civil Protection alert level is a separate scale for people on the ground.
Is it safe to travel to Sicily with Etna erupting?
This site does not judge whether travel is safe. For official travel advice see the UK Foreign Office (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy) or the US State Department, and follow local Civil Protection instructions.
Sources: aviation notices and bulletins from INGV Osservatorio Etneo (CC BY 4.0); alert level from the Dipartimento della Protezione Civile (CC BY 4.0); ash SIGMETs from the U.S. Aviation Weather Center. Facts are restated; the issuing agency is the authority. Not for flight planning.