Subject: Central Pacific: Satellite Interpretation Message

From: LDM Weather <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2010 07:28:10 -0500

736 
ATHW40 PHFO 221228
SIMHI 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
1230 UTC WED SEP 22 2010

BASED ON DATA THROUGH 1200 UTC SEPTEMBER 22 2010

THE PRESENCE OF SURFACE RIDGING ABOUT 700 MILES 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 BROKEN LOW CLOUDS AND SCATTERED SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH 
THE REMNANTS OF AN OLD FRONTAL SYSTEM ACROSS THE WINDWARD COASTAL 
WATERS FROM THE BIG ISLAND TO MAUI. A PLUME OF BROKEN LOW CLOUDS AND 
SCATTERED SHOWERS WAS ALSO WEST OF KAUAI AND NIIHAU. THERE WERE 
MAINLY SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS WITH EMBEDDED ISOLATED SHOWERS ELSEWHERE 
ACROSS THE HAWAIIAN COASTAL WATERS.  

THE GENERAL MOTION OF THE LOW CLOUDS ACROSS THE WINDWARD HAWAIIAN 
COASTAL WATERS WAS TOWARD THE WEST AT 15 TO 20 MPH. THE HIGHEST TOPS 
OF THE LOW CLOUDS OVER THE OCEAN SURROUNDING THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS 
WERE ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 8 THOUSAND FEET.

AS OF 200 AM HST WEDNESDAY...SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS WERE DETECTED 
ACROSS PARTS OF WINDWARD KAUAI. BROKEN LOW CLOUDS WERE ALONG THE 
KOOLAU RANGE AND WINDWARD SHORES OF OAHU. SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW 
CLOUDS WERE OVER PARTS OF MOLOKAI. A FEW LOW CLOUDS WERE AFFECTING 
NORTHERN LANAI. ON MAUI...BROKEN TO LOCALLY OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS WERE 
ALONG THE WINDWARD SHORELINE...THE LOWER WINDWARD SLOPES OF MOUNT 
HALEAKALA AND THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. SCATTERED TO LOCALLY BROKEN LOW 
CLOUDS WERE ABOVE THE WINDWARD COASTAL AREAS OF THE BIG ISLAND. A 
FEW PATCHES OF LOW CLOUDS WERE ALSO EVIDENT ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE 
KONA COAST OF THE BIG ISLAND.

ACCORDING TO LOOPS OF WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND SATELLITE DERIVED 
UPPER LEVEL WINDS...THE AXIS OF AN ELONGATED EAST TO WEST ORIENTED 
UPPER TROPOSPHERIC LOW WAS NEAR 24N 157.5W...OR ABOUT 180 MILES 
NORTH OF HONOLULU. UPPER LEVEL TROUGHS EXTENDED FROM THIS LOW TO 26N 
163W...AND TO ANOTHER LOW ALOFT CENTERED NEAR 29.5N 148W. THESE LOWS 
AND TROUGHS HAVE MOVED LITTLE DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS. 

THE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CENTERED ABOUT 440 MILES SOUTH 
SOUTHEAST OF HILO HAS CHANGED LITTLE IN ORGANIZATION EARLY THIS 
MORNING. THE COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN THIS 
AREA HAVE ALSO BEEN FLUCTUATING DURING THE PAST 18 HOURS. CONTINUED 
GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THIS FEATURE IS POSSIBLE AS IT CONTINUES 
MOVING SLOWLY TOWARD THE WEST NORTHWEST AT ABOUT 10 MPH DURING THE 
NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THE CLOUDS AND DEEP CONVECTION WERE IN THE AREA 
FROM 10N TO 16N BETWEEN 150.5W AND 155W. THE HIGHEST TOPS OF THE 
CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE WERE ESTIMATED TO 
BE ABOUT 48 THOUSAND FEET.

ELSEWHERE IN THE DEEP TROPICS FAR SOUTH OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS...A 
SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDED FROM NEAR 10.5N 140W TO 11.5N 148.5W. 
ISOLATED MODERATE THUNDERSTORMS WERE WITHIN 170 MILES SOUTH OF THIS 
TROUGH. THE INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE...OR ITCZ...EXTENDED 
FROM NEAR 11N 158W TO 07.5N 180W. SCATTERED MODERATE TO LOCALLY 
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE WITHIN 140 MILES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE 
ITCZ EAST OF 170W...WHILE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE WITHIN 180 
MILES OF THE ITCZ WEST OF 170W. THE HIGHEST TOPS OF THE CUMULONIMBUS 
CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ITCZ WERE ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 51 
THOUSAND FEET.

$$

HOUSTON

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