Subject: Central Pacific: Satellite Interpretation Message

From: LDM Weather <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2010 07:35:07 -0500

341 
ATHW40 PHFO 241234
SIMHI 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
1230 UTC FRI SEP 24 2010

BASED ON DATA THROUGH 1200 UTC SEPTEMBER 24 2010

THE PRESENCE OF A WEAK SURFACE RIDGE ABOUT 325 MILES NORTH OF LIHUE 
CONTINUED TO MAINTAIN RELATIVELY LIGHT TRADE WINDS ACROSS THE 
HAWAIIAN ISLAND CHAIN EARLY THIS EVENING. THIS RIDGE WAS SHIFTING 
SLOWLY SOUTHWARD TOWARD THE ISLANDS...SO WIND SPEEDS HAVE CONTINUED 
TO DIMINISH OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. THIS HAS RESULTED IN THE DEVELOPMENT 
OF LOCAL LAND BREEZES ACROSS SOME PARTS OF THE STATE. 

THE RELATIVELY WEAK LOW-LEVEL TRADE WIND FLOW WAS TRANSPORTING SMALL 
PATCHES OF LOW CLOUDS AND A FEW SHOWERS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE 
WINDWARD COASTAL WATERS. PLUMES OF SCATTERED TO LOCALLY BROKEN LOW 
CLOUDS AND ISOLATED SHOWERS ALSO EXTENDED WEST SOUTHWEST OF SOME OF 
THE ISLANDS. THE LARGEST OF THESE PLUMES WAS JUST WEST OF THE BIG 
ISLAND. THE GENERAL MOTION OF THE LOW CLOUDS ACROSS THE WINDWARD 
HAWAIIAN COASTAL WATERS WAS WESTWARD AT ABOUT 15 MPH. THE HIGHEST 
TOPS OF THE LOW CLOUDS OVER THE OCEAN SURROUNDING THE HAWAIIAN 
ISLANDS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE 8 TO 9 THOUSAND FEET.

AS OF 200 AM HST FRIDAY...SCATTERED TO LOCALLY BROKEN LOW CLOUDS 
WERE ALONG THE WINDWARD SHORES OF KAUAI. SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS WERE 
AFFECTING THE WINDWARD SHORELINE OF OAHU...AND THE EASTERN TIP OF 
MOLOKAI. SKIES APPEARED TO BE MOSTLY CLEAR ACROSS LANAI. ON MAUI... 
SCATTERED TO LOCALLY BROKEN LOW CLOUDS WERE ALONG THE WINDWARD 
COAST...THE LOWER WINDWARD SLOPES OF MOUNT HALEAKALA AND THE WESTERN 
MOUNTAINS. SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS WERE ABOVE PARTS OF THE WINDWARD 
SHORELINE OF THE BIG ISLAND.

ACCORDING TO LOOPS OF WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND SATELLITE DERIVED 
UPPER LEVEL WINDS...AN UPPER TROPOSPHERIC HIGH WAS CENTERED NEAR 
15.5N 157.5W...OR ABOUT 400 MILES SOUTH OF HONOLULU. AS RESULT OF 
THE CLOCKWISE CIRCULATION AROUND THIS FEATURE ALOFT...THE UPPER 
LEVEL WINDS WERE 30 TO 45 MPH FROM THE NORTHWEST ACROSS THE ALOHA 
STATE. SIGNIFICANT SUBSIDENCE ALOFT WAS ALSO EVIDENT IN THE WATER 
VAPOR IMAGERY ACROSS THE ISLAND CHAIN. THESE FACTORS WERE 
CONTRIBUTING TO THE RELATIVELY STABLE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS THAT 
HAVE BEEN OCCURRING ACROSS THE STATE.

A DISORGANIZED AREA OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED 
WITH A NORTH TO SOUTH ORIENTED SURFACE TROUGH CENTERED ABOUT 570 
MILES SOUTH OF HONOLULU. THE TROUGH...WHICH HAS BEEN MOVING WESTWARD 
AT ABOUT 10 MPH...EXTENDED FROM NEAR 17N 159.5W TO 10N 160.5W. THE 
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED MODERATE THUNDERSTORMS WERE WITHIN 80 MILES ON 
EITHER SIDE OF THE TROUGH. THE HIGHEST TOPS OF THE CUMULONIMBUS 
CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE WERE ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 44 
THOUSAND FEET.

ELSEWHERE IN THE DEEP TROPICS FAR SOUTH OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS... 
THERE WERE TWO OTHER SURFACE TROUGHS EVIDENT. ONE OF THESE TROUGHS 
EXTENDED FROM NEAR 08.5N 140W TO 11.5N 156.5W. SCATTERED MODERATE 
THUNDERSTORMS WERE WITHIN 200 MILES SOUTH OF THIS TROUGH. THE SECOND 
TROUGH EXTENDED FROM NEAR 15N 169W TO 08.5N 175W. ISOLATED MODERATE 
THUNDERSTORMS WERE WITHIN 420 MILES EAST...AND WITHIN 270 MILES WEST 
OF THIS TROUGH. THE HIGHEST TOPS OF THE THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED 
WITH THESE TROUGHS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 47 THOUSAND FEET.

$$

HOUSTON

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