Subject: Central Pacific: Satellite Interpretation Message

From: LDM Weather <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2010 19:45:59 -0500

759 
ATHW40 PHFO 160045
SIMHI 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
0030 UTC THU SEP 16 2010

BASED ON DATA THROUGH 0000 UTC SEPTEMBER 16 2010

THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS CONTINUE TO BE ON THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF A 
NORTH-SOUTH GRADIENT OF LOW CLOUDS...WITH SCATTERED TO BROKEN  
STRATOCUMULUS /SC/...AND EMBEDDED SHOWERY CUMULUS /CU/...NEAR AND 
UPWIND OF THE ISLANDS...WHILE FEW LOW CLOUDS PREVAIL OVER WATERS 
NORTH OF THE ISLANDS...FROM 25N TO 32N BETWEEN 140W AND 170W.  

MODERATE TRADE WINDS CONTINUE TO PREVAIL OVER THE ISLANDS...AND 
WHILE THIS USUALLY MEANS CLOUDS FAVORING WINDWARD AREAS...MANY 
LEEWARD AREAS HAVE SOME FORM OF LOW CLOUD COVER THIS AFTERNOON.
THE ENTIRE ISLAND OF KAUAI IS COVERED IN BROKEN LOW CLOUDS...
WITH BOTH SC AND CU OVER THE ISLAND...AND OVER WATERS OUT TO 30 
MILES TO THE EAST. BROKEN CU PREVAIL OVER THE ENTIRE ISLAND OF 
OAHU...BUT THE CENTRAL PLATEAU HAS SOME BREAKS IN THE LOW CLOUD 
CEILINGS. BROKEN CU ARE OVER THE EXTREME EASTERN TIP OF MOLOKAI... 
BUT ARE ALSO LOCATED ALONG THE SOUTHWEST COAST. THE SOUTHERN HALF OF 
LANAI IS COVERED IN BROKEN TO OVERCAST CU AND SC...WHILE THE 
NORTHERN HALF OF THE ISLAND IS MOSTLY SUNNY. ASIDE FROM SCATTERED 
CU FROM HANA TO KIPAHULU...THE NORTH AND EAST FACING SLOPES OF 
HALEAKALA ON MAUI ARE MOSTLY SUNNY...WHILE BROKEN TO OVERCAST SC AND 
CU ARE OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN AND WESTERN LOWER SLOPES. THE WINDWARD 
SIDE OF THE WEST MAUI MOUNTAINS HAVE THEIR TYPICAL BROKEN LOW CLOUDS 
ALONG THE LOWER SLOPES...BUT THE CENTRAL VALLEY IS MOSTLY SUNNY. THE 
KONA AND KAU SLOPES OF THE BIG ISLAND ARE COVERED IN OVERCAST 
SC...WITH ISOLATED CU EMBEDDED...BLANKETING SKIES OVER THE LOWER 
SLOPES FROM PUAKO COUNTER-CLOCKWISE TO SOUTH POINT TO WOOD VALLEY. 
THE LOWER SLOPES ALONG THE HAMAKUA COAST HAVE SIMILAR CLOUD 
COVERAGE...WITH SCATTERED TO BROKEN CU ALONG THE SLOPES ABOVE HILO 
TOWN. THE SUMMITS AND UPPER ELEVATIONS OF BOTH MAUI AND THE BIG 
ISLAND ARE SUNNY...AS IS THE AREA BETWEEN WOOD VALLEY AND VOLCANO ON 
THE BIG ISLAND. 

WHILE SCATTERED TO BROKEN CU PREVAIL OVER NEAR SHORE WATERS EAST OF 
KAUAI AND OAHU...AND OVER WATERS IMMEDIATELY EAST OF THE BIG 
ISLAND...NEAR SHORE WINDWARD WATERS OF MAUI COUNTY ARE MOSTLY 
SUNNY. HOWEVER...THE LEADING EDGE OF A 100 MILE WIDE CLUMP OF 
SHOWERY CU AND STABLE SC LIES ABOUT 50 MILES EAST OF HANA ON MAUI. 
LOW CLOUD MOTION NEAR THE ISLANDS IS TOWARD THE WEST AT SPEEDS NEAR 
22 MPH. 

THE ISLANDS OF KAUAI AND OAHU HAVE RID THEMSELVES OF THE HIGH CLOUDS 
THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND...ON AND OFF...FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. THE 
SOURCE OF THE HIGH CLOUDS...A SLOW MOVING LOW ALOFT TO THE WEST OF 
THE ISLANDS...HAS SUFFICIENTLY DISTANCED ITSELF...AND THE NEAREST 
HIGH CLOUDS ARE NOW ABOUT 500 MILES WEST OF KAUAI. THE LOW ALOFT IS 
CENTERED ABOUT 1050 MILES WEST OF KAUAI...AND IT CONTINUES TO DRIFT 
WEST. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP NEAR THE CORE OF 
THE LOW...AND ARE CURRENTLY LOCATED FROM 20N TO 24N BETWEEN 174W AND 
177W. 

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING IN ASSOCIATION WITH A WEAK 
TROPICAL LOW PASSING WELL SOUTH OF THE ISLANDS...NEAR 11N 153W. THE 
WESTWARD MOVING DISTURBANCE LACKS SIGNIFICANT ORGANIZATION...WITH 
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ELSEWHERE WITHIN THE NEAR 
EQUATORIAL TRADE WIND CONVERGENCE ZONE SOUTH OF THE ISLANDS. 

$$

BIRCHARD

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