Subject: Central Pacific: Satellite Interpretation Message

From: LDM Weather <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:31:42 -0500

043 
ATHW40 PHFO 150031
SIMHI 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
0030 UTC WED SEP 15 2010

BASED ON DATA THROUGH 0000 UTC SEPTEMBER 15 2010

HIGH CLOUDS...PRIMARILY BROKEN IN COVERAGE...CONTINUE TO BLANKET 
SKIES ACROSS KAUAI AND OAHU...AND THEIR ADJACENT WATERS...PARTIALLY 
OBSTRUCTING THE SATELLITE VIEW OF LOW CLOUD DETAILS. ENOUGH BREAKS 
IN THE HIGH CLOUD COVER EXIST...ESPECIALLY OVER WATERS EAST OF THE 
ISLANDS...TO SEE THAT SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS CONTINUE TO STREAM TOWARD 
THE ISLANDS FROM THE EAST IN THE LOW LEVEL FLOW...AND TO SEE THAT 
LOW CLOUD COVER OVER WINDWARD WATERS HAS DECREASED SINCE THIS 
MORNING.

LARGE SCALE VIEW OF THE TROPICAL CENTRAL PACIFIC SHOWS SCATTERED TO 
BROKEN LOW STRATOCUMULUS /SC/...WITH EMBEDDED SHOWERY CUMULUS 
/CU/...MOVING WESTWARD IN THE TRADE FLOW FROM 17N TO 23N BETWEEN 
160W AND 140W. SKIES ARE NEARLY CLEAR TO THE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS...
FROM 23N TO 30N BETWEEN 140W AND 165W...AND LOW CLOUD MOTIONS HELP 
TO DELINEATE A EAST-WEST RIDGE AXIS JUST NORTH OF THE ISLANDS... 
APPROXIMATELY ALONG 27N. 

LOW CLOUDS NEAR THE ISLANDS ARE MOVING TOWARD THE WEST AT SPEEDS 
NEAR 20 MPH...WITH LOW CLOUD COVERAGE PRIMARILY SCATTERED AT THE 
MOMENT. DESPITE THE DECREASE IN LOW CLOUD COVER UPWIND OF THE 
ISLANDS OVER THE PAST 6 HOURS...THE LOWER WINDWARD SLOPES OF THE BIG 
ISLAND ARE COVERED IN BROKEN TO OVERCAST SC...AS ARE THE KAU AND 
KONA SLOPES. ON MAUI...BROKEN CU LINE THE LOWER SLOPES OF 
HALEAKALA...AND THE WINDWARD LOWER SLOPES OF THE WEST MAUI 
MOUNTAINS...BUT THE REMAINDER OF THE ISLAND IS UNDER MOSTLY SUNNY 
SKIES. BROKEN CU PERSIST OVER THE EXTREME EASTERN TIP OF 
MOLOKAI...WITH PATCHES OF SCATTERED TO BROKEN CU LINING THE 
SOUTHWEST COAST OF THE FRIENDLY ISLE. BROKEN CU ARE OVER THE 
SOUTHERN HALF OF LANAI...BUT THE NORTHERN HALF...AND KAHOOLAWE...ARE 
UNDER MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES...ASIDE FROM A FEW WISPY CIRRUS ELEMENTS 
HIGH ABOVE. HIGH CLOUDS ARE PARTIALLY OBSTRUCTING THE VIEW OF LOW 
CLOUD DETAILS OVER KAUAI AND OAHU...BUT IT APPEARS THAT BROKEN CU 
ARE ALONG THE RIDGE OF BOTH THE KOOLAU AND WAIANAE RANGES ON 
OAHU...WITH ONLY FEW CU ELSEWHERE OVER THE ISLAND. BROKEN CU ARE 
OVER BOTH THE WINDWARD AND LEEWARD SLOPES OF KAUAI...WITH THE 
LEEWARD SLOPE CLOUDINESS SPREADING TO COASTAL AREAS ON THE WEST SIDE 
OF THE GARDEN ISLE. 

WATER VAPOR IMAGERY REVEALS A CLOSED LOW ALOFT CENTERED ABOUT 775 
MILES NORTHWEST OF KAUAI...NEAR 26N 172W...WITH A NORTHEAST TO 
SOUTHWEST ORIENTED TROUGH ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW LOCATED ALONG A 
LINE FROM 30N 165W TO THE LOW CENTER TO 15N 180. THE LOW HAS BEEN 
DRIFTING SLOWLY TOWARD THE WEST-SOUTHWEST OVER THE PAST 6 TO 12 
HOURS. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP NEAR THE CORE OF 
THE LOW...WITHIN 120 MILES EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM 27N 168W TO 
21N 176W. THE HIGH CLOUDS MOVING OVER KAUAI AND OAHU FROM THE 
SOUTHWEST ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LOW AND ASSOCIATED TROUGH...
WITH SOME OF THIS HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE ORIGINATING FROM THE 
TOPS OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS LOCATED FAR SOUTHWEST OF THE ISLANDS. 

THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE WITHIN THE NEAR EQUATORIAL TRADE WIND 
CONVERGENCE ZONE SOUTH OF THE ISLANDS IS AT A MINIMA...WITH ONLY 
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS FROM 07N TO 10N BETWEEN 140W AND 145W. 

$$

BIRCHARD

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