Early Monday morning towering clouds of volcanic ash erupted from active volcano, 'Kilauea,' on Hawaii's big island in a frightening event that led authorities to urge nearly 2,000 residents to flee the area. 

The Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park confirmed the news on Twitter, as did the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports an eruption at the Halemaumau Crater of the Kilauea Volcano. Trade winds will push any embedded ash toward the Southwest. Fallout is likely in the Kau District in Wood Valley, Pahala, Naalehu and Ocean View. Stay indoors to avoid Exposu

— COH Civil Defense (@CivilDefenseHI) December 21, 2020

Happening now: a new eruption of Kilauea inside Halema?uma?u

See live webcams inside Halema?uma?u, courtesy of USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: https://t.co/Yf1Kc3AeJ9 pic.twitter.com/bsNmt3ZTUg

— Hawaii Volcanoes NPS (@Volcanoes_NPS) December 21, 2020

According to ABC News, the HVO/USGS said that shortly after 9:30 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time, "the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) detected glow within Halema?uma?u crater at the summit of Kilauea Volcano. An eruption has commenced within Kilauea’s summit caldera."

They said the situation is "rapidly evolving" and they will provide more information about the eruption when they have it. "Accordingly, HVO has elevated Kilauea’s volcano alert level to WARNING and its aviation color code to RED," they said.

Ash caused by the eruption will likely fall in the communities of Pahala, Wood Valley, Naalehu and Ocean View, NOAA's National Weather Service announced. They also warned residents to avoid excessive exposure to ash, which is an eye and respiratory irritant.

"Those with respiratory sensitivities should take extra precaution to minimize exposure," they said.Kilauea last erupted in 2018. ABC News notes that it is the most active of Hawaii's five volcanoes.

Apparently, this is a situation HVO has been anticipating as the organization says it's been monitoring changes in the volcano for a while.

Researchers with HVO have noted that for the past several weeks, the volcano caused"ground deformation and earthquake rates at Kilauea Volcano’s summit and upper East Rift Zone that have exceeded background levels observed since the conclusion of the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption and summit collapse."

Beginning in March 2019, HVO added, uplift related to post-collapse inflation of the summit reservoir has been occurring, and since September of this year, the rates have been steadily increasing. They are currently higher than they have been since the end of the 2018 eruption.

Additionally, HVO said that since November, "increased earthquake rates began when seismic stations recorded an average of at least 480 shallow, small-magnitude earthquakes per week," less than 2.5 miles beneath Kilauea's summit and upper East Rift Zone.

On Dec. 2, GPS stations and tiltmeters recorded a ground deformation event at Kilauea’s summit, accompanied by earthquake swarms, and on Dec. 17, seismometers detected an increase in "occurrence and duration of long-period seismic signals beneath Kilauea’s summit, which are attributed to magmatic activity," HVO added.

ABC News notes that as of 4:15 a.m., though area residents have evacuated, the volcanic activity has not led to any injuries or deaths.