Ground-based observations of Io's infrared thermal emission between Fe
bruary 1995 and May 1997 show several discrete brightenings for which
we can constrain locations, fluxes, and durations. Several of these we
re brief high-temperature events, with temperatures up to at least 150
0 K, similar to but often smaller than the rare ''outbursts'' seen pre
viously. Loki, Io's most powerful volcano, was relatively active befor
e and probably during Galileo's December 1995 Io flyby, was faint duri
ng most of 1996, and began a major, long-lived brightening between Feb
ruary 20 and March 12 1997. Thermal emission was not seen from Ra Pate
ra, site of an active plume in Galileo images. Major outbursts were se
en on March 2nd and September 27 1995.