Subject: Central Pacific: Satellite Interpretation Message

From: LDM Weather <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:26:58 -0500

434 
ATHW40 PHFO 131826
SIMHI 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
1830 UTC WED OCT 13 2010

BASED ON DATA THROUGH 1800 UTC OCTOBER 13 2010

A STABLE TRADE WIND FLOW REMAINS OVER THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS... 
THOUGH A COMPLEX PATTERN IS IN PLACE ALOFT.

A DEEP...THOUGH NOT PARTICULARLY STRONG...UPPER LEVEL TROUGH 
OCCUPIES MUCH OF THE CENTRAL PACIFIC...BOTTOMING OUT NEAR 10N155W. 
A 400 MILE-WIDE SHIELD OF BROKEN HIGH CLOUDS CENTERED ALONG 
10N153W...16N145W...AND 24N142W RUNS ALONG THE EASTERN FLANK OF THE 
UPPER TROUGH. A WEAK...EMBEDDED UPPER LOW 225 MILES EAST OF THE BIG 
ISLAND NEAR 20N152W IS TRIGGERING A SMALL CLUSTER OF ISOLATED 
THUNDERSTORMS WITH TOPS TO 46 KFT ABOUT 250 TO 350 MILES SOUTHEAST 
OF THE BIG ISLAND.

A SHORT WAVE DROPPING INTO THE THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS ALSO 
DRIVING A SURFACE FRONT ABOUT 550 MILES NORTH OF KAUAI. THE FRONT IS 
DRIFTING SOUTH SLOWLY AND IS MARKED BY BROKEN LAYERED CLOUDS WITH 
ISOLATED...EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WITH TOPS TO 41 KFT ALONG 30N 
BETWEEN 170W AND 155W.

THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS LIE IN A REGION OF SUBSIDENCE WEST OF THE 
UPPER TROUGH AXIS...WITH AN ERODING MID LEVEL RIDGE HANGING ON. AS A 
RESULT...STABLE CONDITIONS PREVAIL...WITH TWO AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS 
OBSERVED NEAR THE ISLANDS. A FIELD OF MOSTLY STABLE...BROKEN 
STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS WITH TOPS AROUND 7500 FT LIES JUST OFF WINDWARD 
MAUI AND BIG ISLAND AND EXTENDS 600 MILES TO THE EAST. A POORLY 
ORGANIZED...250 MILE-WIDE BAND OF BROKEN CUMULUS AND STRATOCUMULUS 
CLOUDS WITH TOPS TO 9000 FT EXTENDS FOR 775 MILES FROM 25N156W TO 
19N168W.

A LESS THAN NORMAL AMOUNT LOW CLOUDS ARE CONFINED TO WINDWARD AREAS 
OF MOST ISLANDS...WITH A GREATER AMOUNT OF CLOUDS FOUND NEAR KAUAI 
DUE TO THE ABOVE-MENTIONED CLOUD BAND. BROKEN LOW CLOUDS COVER 
WINDWARD AND MAUKA PORTIONS OF THE GARDEN ISLE AND THE ADJACENT 
WATERS. BROKEN LOW CLOUDS ARE OBSERVED ALONG THE SPINE OF THE KOOLAU 
RANGE ON OAHU...WHILE SMALL PATCHES OF BROKEN LOW CLOUDS ARE LIMITED 
TO THE EASTERN TIPS OF MOLOKAI AND MAUI AND THE HILO VICINITY OF THE 
BIG ISLAND. EXCEPT FOR KAUAI...LEEWARD AREAS ARE CLOUD-FREE. THE 
FRONT TO THE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS IS WEAKENING THE TRADE WIND FLOW 
NEAR THE ISLANDS...WHERE INDIVIDUAL LOW CLOUDS ARE MOVING TO THE 
EAST NORTHEAST AT 13 TO 18 MPH.

$$

DWROE

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