Subject: Central Pacific: Satellite Interpretation Message

From: LDM Weather <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2010 13:32:26 -0500

285 
ATHW40 PHFO 251832
SIMHI 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
1830 UTC SAT SEP 25 2010

BASED ON DATA THROUGH 1800 UTC SEPTEMBER 25 2010

A FRONT PUSHING SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE NORTHERN FRINGES OF THE AREA IS 
WEAKENING THE TRADE WIND FLOW ACROSS THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.

THE RAGGED FRONT IS COMPRISED OF A 175 MILE-WIDE BAND OF SCATTERED 
TO BROKEN CUMULUS CLOUDS STRETCHING ALONG 30N154W...27N164W...AND 
29N176W. THE FRONT IS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 12 MPH EAST OF 164W 
AND TO THE SOUTH AT 10 MPH WEST OF 164W. THE BROAD UPPER LEVEL 
TROUGH DRIVING THE FRONT COVERS A LARGE PORTION OF THE CENTRAL AND 
EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC...BUT ITS STRENGTH LIES WELL NORTH OF 30N... 
LEAVING THE PORTION OF THE FRONT SOUTH OF 30N WITH LITTLE UPPER 
LEVEL SUPPORT. 

THE FRONT HAS WEAKENED AND DISPLACED THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE SOUTHWARD 
TO JUST OVER 200 MILES NORTH OF KAUAI. SCATTERED TO LOCALLY BROKEN 
CUMULUS CLOUDS TRAVELLING ALONG THE TRADE WIND FLOW NEAR THE MAIN 
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS ARE MOVING FROM THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 12 TO 15 MPH 
NEAR THE SMALLER ISLANDS AND AT 15 TO 18 MPH AROUND THE BIG ISLAND. 

UNDER THESE CONDITIONS...A RATHER TYPICAL LOW CLOUD PATTERN IS FOUND 
ACROSS THE ISLANDS...WITH PATCHES OF BROKEN LOW CLOUDS CONFINED TO 
WINDWARD SLOPES AND MOSTLY CLEAR LEEWARD SKIES. THE EXCEPTION IS 
THE SOUTH KONA DISTRICT OF THE LEEWARD BIG ISLAND...WHERE BROKEN LOW 
CLOUDS ARE OBSERVED ON LOWER SLOPES FROM KEALAKEKUA TO MILOLII.

THE PATTERN ALOFT OVER THE REGION IS COMPLEX BUT WEAK. AN UPPER LOW 
JUST WEST OF 180 GIVES WAY TO A COMPACT UPPER HIGH CENTERED NEAR 
25N168W...FOLLOWED BY A WEAK UPPER LOW JUST NORTHEAST OF THE BIG 
ISLAND NEAR 21N154W. FARTHER EAST A STRONG UPPER RIDGE DOMINATES. 
THIS ENTIRE PATTERN IS SHIFTING WESTWARD SLOWLY. THE UPPER LOW NEAR 
THE STATE IS LIKELY CAUSING THE CLOUD FIELD AROUND THE ISLANDS TO BE 
DOMINATED BY CUMULUS CLOUDS. ABOUT 130 MILES EAST OF THE BIG 
ISLAND...STABLE STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS PREVAIL UNDER THE UPPER RIDGE.

A WEAK TROPICAL DISTURBANCE NEAR 12N167W IS MOVING TO THE WEST 
SOUTHWEST AT 12 MPH...AWAY FROM THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 
THUNDERSTORMS WITH TOPS TO 46 KFT CONTINUE TO FLARE ALONG THE 
NORTHERN FLANK OF THIS WEAK SYSTEM. 

$$

DWROE

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