Subject: Central Pacific: Satellite Interpretation Message

From: LDM Weather <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2010 13:30:13 -0500

459 
ATHW40 PHFO 181830
SIMHI 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
1830 UTC SAT SEP 18 2010

BASED ON DATA THROUGH 1800 UTC SEPTEMBER 18 2010

A DEEP LAYERED RIDGE IS POSITIONED ABOUT 520 MILES NORTH-NORTHWEST 
OF OAHU THIS MORNING AND IS SLOWLY RETROGRADING WESTWARD. THIS 
MOVEMENT IS ALLOWING FOR THE TRAILING END OF A SURFACE COLD FRONT 
AND ASSOCIATED UPPER TROUGH TO DIG SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST OVER THE 
WATERS TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.

VISIBLE AND IR SATELLITE SHOW CLOUD BAND ALONG THE FRONT ALONG AN 
AXIS FROM 23N149W TO 30N136W UP TO THE OREGON COAST. THE CLOUD BAND 
IS CHARACTERIZED BY A 200 TO 300 MILE WIDE BAND OF STRATUS CLOUDS 
OVERCAST EAST OF 140W AND BROKEN TO SCATTERED IN COVERAGE EAST OF 
140W. SATELLITE AMSU AND SSMI BLENDED PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OVER 
THE LOCATION OF THIS CLOUD BAND IS AROUND 1.8 TO 1.9 INCHES. AROUND 
THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS...SOUNDINGS SHOW VALUES AROUND 1.1 INCHES.

A MIXTURE OF SCATTERED CUMULUS WITH BROKEN PATCHES OF STRATOCUMULUS 
CLOUDS ARE BUNCHED UP AGAINST THE WINDWARD AND LEEWARD COASTAL 
WATERS AND THROUGH THE CHANNELS ALONG THE SMALLER MAIN HAWAIIAN 
ISLANDS. EMBEDDED SCATTERED SHOWERS...MOSTLY LIGHT...ARE MOVING 
ACROSS MOLOKAI THROUGH NIIHAU THIS MORNING ACCORDING TO RADAR AND 
AUTOMATED OBSERVATIONS. ON KAUAI...THESE CLOUDS ARE PUSHING INTO THE 
EASTERN HALF OF THE ISLAND WHILE THE WESTERN HALF REMAINS MOSTLY 
SHELTERED FROM THE CLOUDS AND RAIN. OAHU HAS SEVERAL WAVE CLOUD 
BANDS LEEWARD OF THE KOOLAU MOUNTAINS AND MOST PORTIONS OF THE 
ISLAND HAVE BROKEN CEILINGS THIS MORNING. MOLOKAI HAS A SMALL BIT OF 
CLEARING OVER THE MOLOKAI AIRPORT BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE ISLAND IS 
COVERED WITH BROKEN LOW CLOUDS. LANAI HAS BROKEN CLOUDS OVER MOST OF 
THE ISLAND INTERIOR. MAUI ALSO HAS BROKEN CLOUDS ON THE WESTERN 
PORTION OF THE ISLAND WITH A FEW ON THE WINDWARD SLOPES OF 
HALEAKALA. THE REMAINDER OF MAUI IS MOSTLY SUNNY THIS MORNING. THE 
BIG ISLAND HAS JUST A FEW CLOUDS ACROSS HILO AND THE SOUTH KONA 
DISTRICT...BUT OTHERWISE IS MOSTLY SUNNY.

ELSEWHERE IN THE CENTRAL PACIFIC...A STATIONARY FRONT AND UPPER 
LEVEL TROUGH ARE POSITIONED ON THE NORTHWEST FLANK OF THE EARLIER 
MENTIONED HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM. THE CLOUD BAND ASSOCIATED WITH THE 
FRONT RUNS ALONG AN AXIS FROM TO 40N160W TO 30N179W TO 25N172E AND 
IS AROUND 150 MILES WIDE. DENSE LAYERED CLOUDS WITH TOPS AROUND 35 
KFT ALONG THE AXIS SOUTH OF 30N.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN THE NEAR EQUATORIAL TRADE WIND 
CONVERGENCE ZONE SOUTH OF THE ISLANDS...FROM 06N TO 12N BETWEEN 140W 
AND 180. CLOUD TOPS EXTEND TO 52 KFT IN THE VERTICAL IN THIS AREA.

$$

FOSTER

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