Can you tell when Old Faithful will erupt?

If you just want to know when the next Old Faithful eruption takes place: Check the posted prediction at the Old Faithful Visitor Center. See the Rangers' predictions on Twitter @GeyserNPS. Watch the Old Faithful webcam live and see the predictions there.



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The world's most famous geyser, Old Faithful in Yellowstone, currently erupts around 20 times a day. These eruptions are predicted with a 90 percent confidence rate, within a 10 minute variation, based on the duration and height of the previous eruption.

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The mornings (dawn until 11 a.m.) and evenings (6 p.m. until dusk) are perfect window times for beating the tour groups and family wagons and securing a spot with an uninterrupted view. If you prefer the morning, all you need is a trusty alarm clock, maybe a strong cup of coffee and an early start to the day.

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As pressure is released, gases dissolved in the magma come out of solution, turning the magma into a boiling froth. The total energy released would be equivalent to an 875,000 megaton explosion. The shockwave would kill 90,000 people. Most of the lava would fall back into the crater.

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Does it cost money to see Old Faithful? No, but Yellowstone does require a $35 entrance fee that's valid for 7 days. The pass allows you to view all attractions within the park, including Old Faithful.

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Just like the animals in the park, the geyser basins won't stop with the weather. Geyser basins are a never-ending wonder, even in the rain; Old Faithful will still spectacularly erupt and hot springs will still be vibrant despite weather conditions.

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However, Yellowstone is also an active geothermal area with hot springs emerging at ~92°C (~198°F) (the boiling point of water at Yellowstone's mean altitude) and steam vents reported as high as 135°C (275°F).

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A: For the most likely type of volcanic eruption in Yellowstone, everywhere would be safe except in the immediate vicinity of the advancing lava flow. In the highly improbable event of a large catastrophic eruption, the great the distance from the eruptive center, the safer it would be.

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When the Yellowstone hot spot next has an eruptive event, most likely no part Texas will be affected. This is because a smaller eruption is expected by geophysicists well before a major one.

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