Subject: Central Pacific: Satellite Interpretation Message

From: LDM Weather <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2010 07:28:19 -0500

796 
ATHW40 PHFO 211228
SIMHI 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
1230 UTC TUE SEP 21 2010

BASED ON DATA THROUGH 1200 UTC SEPTEMBER 21 2010

THE PRESENCE OF A SURFACE HIGH FAR NORTH OF KAUAI CONTINUED TO 
MAINTAIN MODERATE TRADE WINDS ACROSS THE HAWAIIAN ISLAND CHAIN EARLY 
THIS MORNING. THE LOW-LEVEL TRADE WIND FLOW WAS TRANSPORTING 
SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW CLOUDS AND SCATTERED SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH 
THE REMNANTS OF AN OLD FRONTAL SYSTEM ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS 
ADJACENT TO THE WINDWARD AND SOUTHEASTERN BIG ISLAND. THE GREATEST 
SHOWER COVERAGE WAS OVER THE WATERS SOUTHEAST OF THE BIG ISLAND. 
THERE WAS ALSO A SMALL PLUME OF SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW CLOUDS WITH 
EMBEDDED ISOLATED SHOWERS WEST OF THE KONA COAST ON THE BIG ISLAND. 
THERE WERE MAINLY SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS WITH EMBEDDED ISOLATED 
ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE HAWAIIAN COASTAL WATERS.

THE GENERAL MOTION OF THE LOW CLOUDS ACROSS THE WINDWARD HAWAIIAN 
COASTAL WATERS WAS TOWARD THE WEST SOUTHWEST AT 15 TO 20 MPH. THE 
HIGHEST TOPS OF THE LOW CLOUDS OVER THE OCEAN JUST SOUTHEAST OF THE 
BIG ISLAND WERE NEAR 10 THOUSAND FEET...WHILE THE HIGHEST CLOUD TOPS 
OVER THE WATERS SURROUNDING THE REMAINING HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WERE 
ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 5 THOUSAND FEET.

AS OF 200 AM HST TUESDAY...SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS WERE ALONG PARTS OF 
THE WINDWARD FACING SLOPES OF KAUAI AND OAHU. SCATTERED TO LOCALLY 
BROKEN LOW CLOUDS WERE DETECTED ABOVE THE NORTHEASTERN TIP OF 
MOLOKAI. SKIES WERE MOSTLY CLEAR ACROSS LANAI. ON MAUI...SCATTERED 
TO BROKEN LOW CLOUDS WERE ALONG THE WINDWARD SHORELINE...THE LOWER 
WINDWARD SLOPES OF MOUNT HALEAKALA AND THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. BROKEN 
TO LOCALLY OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS WERE ACROSS MOST OF THE WINDWARD BIG 
ISLAND COASTAL AREAS. SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS WERE AFFECTING PARTS OF 
THE CENTRAL LEEWARD COAST OF THE BIG ISLAND.

THE RAGGED BAND OF BROKEN CLOUDS AND SCATTERED SHOWERS ASSOCIATED 
WITH THE REMNANTS OF AN OLD FRONT WERE WITHIN 85 MILES SOUTHEAST OF 
A LINE FROM HILO TO 22.5N 150W TO 27N 140W. THIS BAND APPEARED TO 
HAVE REMAINED NEARLY STATIONARY DURING THE PAST 6 HOURS. 

ACCORDING TO LOOPS OF WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND SATELLITE DERIVED 
UPPER LEVEL WINDS...THE AXIS OF A RELATIVELY WEAK NORTHEAST TO 
SOUTHWEST ORIENTED UPPER TROPOSPHERIC TROUGH EXTENDED FROM A LOW 
ALOFT NEAR 28N 147.5W TO 24.5N 154W ACROSS OAHU TO 18.5N 160.5W. 
THIS TROUGH ALOFT HAS MOVED LITTLE DURING THE PAST 6 HOURS. THIS 
FEATURE HAS NOT BEEN HAVING A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON ISLAND WEATHER 
TONIGHT. HOWEVER...THE TROUGH MAY BE SUPPORTING THE RAGGED BAND OF 
LOW CLOUDS AND SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE REMNANTS OF THE FORMER 
FRONT ADJACENT TO THE EASTERN BIG ISLAND.

AN AREA OF DISORGANIZED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WAS 
LOCATED ABOUT 650 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF HILO. INFRARED SATELLITE 
IMAGERY AND A RECENT SCATTEROMETER PASS INDICATED THERE MAY HAVE 
BEEN A WEAK LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION NEAR 11N 151W. TROUGHS EXTENDED 
FROM THIS APPARENT WEAK CIRCULATION TO 11N 140W...AND TO 09N 155W. 
THIS SYSTEM HAS BEEN MOVING SLOWLY WESTWARD DURING THE PAST 6 HOURS. 
THE HIGHEST TOPS OF THE CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS 
FEATURE WERE ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 46 THOUSAND FEET.

ELSEWHERE IN THE DEEP TROPICS FAR SOUTH OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS... 
THE INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE...OR ITCZ...EXTENDED FROM NEAR 
09.5N 157W TO 07.5N 171W TO 06N 176W TO 06N 180W. SCATTERED MODERATE 
THUNDERSTORMS WERE WITHIN 220 MILES NORTH...AND WITHIN 130 MILES 
SOUTH OF THE ITCZ. THE HIGHEST TOPS OF THE CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS 
ASSOCIATED WITH THE ITCZ WERE ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 51 THOUSAND FEET.

$$

HOUSTON

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