A pause in the advance of lava toward Pahoa continued for a third day Wednesday.

A Hawaii County Civil Defense overflight of the flow Wednesday morning showed the “leading surface lava flow has remained slow and has not advanced since yesterday,” officials said in an information update posted on the county website.

A small breakout advanced another 100 yards to the northeast from the north flank of the flow. But the breakout remains upslope of the flow front and does not pose a threat to area communities, officials said.

Other breakouts are closer to the Pu’u ‘O’o vent and midway along the flow route.

“None of these breakouts by itself has been very vigorous, but together they compose a significant portion of the total flow volume,” Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists said..

The front of the flow remains about 1.4 miles upslope from Apaa Street on the outskirts of Pahoa and has not advanced significantly since Friday. It’s advance slowed over the weekend and stalled Sunday.

Scientists say it is not unusual for pahoehoe lava flows to slow down or stall.

The flow has advanced 10.2 miles from its source at Pu’u ‘O’o crater since the current episode began on June 27.