Subject: Central Pacific: Satellite Interpretation Message

From: LDM Weather <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 23:30:08 -0600

821 
ATHW40 PHFO 240529
SIMHI 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
0530 UTC FRI DEC 24 2010

BASED ON DATA THROUGH 0500 UTC DECEMBER 24 2010

WATER VAPOR IMAGES SHOWED A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE IN THE UPPER 
ATMOSPHERE PASSING OVER AND JUST NORTH OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 
THIN HIGH CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE PARTLY OBSCURED LOWER 
FEATURES WITHIN 125 MILES OF THE POINT 26N 154W.

A BAND OF DEEP LAYERED CLOUDS WITH EMBEDDED ISOLATED TOWERING CUMULI 
AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED ACROSS HAWAIIAN WATERS WITHIN 
210 MILES OF THE CURVE FROM 20N 180 TO 24N 175W TO 30N 173W AND 
FURTHER SOUTHWEST AND NORTH. LAYERED HIGH TO MIDDLE CLOUDS OF 
VARYING THICKNESS ALSO PARTLY TO MOSTLY OBSCURED LOWER FEATURES WEST 
TO 180...AND EAST UP TO ABOUT 500 MILES FROM THE LEADING EDGE OF THE 
MAIN CLOUD BAND. THIS FEATURE AS A WHOLE MOVED EAST SLOWLY.

ANOTHER BAND OF LOW TO MIDDLE CLOUD LAYERS ASSOCIATED WITH A SECOND 
FRONT EXTENDED ACROSS HAWAIIAN WATERS NORTH OF THE CURVE FROM 30N 
171W TO 26N 153W TO 29N 140W. THIS FEATURE MOVED SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 
MILES AN HOUR.

A DISORGANIZED MASS OF MOSTLY MIDDLE CLOUD LAYERS EXTENDED SOUTHEAST 
FROM THE SECOND FRONTAL CLOUD BAND WITHIN 200 MILES OF THE LINE FROM 
27N 152W TO 23N 151W. THESE CLOUDS PROBABLY WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE 
UPPER-ATMOSPHERIC TROUGH DESCRIBED IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH ABOVE... 
BUT ALSO MAY HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE SECOND FRONT AS WELL.

TO THE SOUTH...LIGHT THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY CONTINUED IN THE ITCZ 
BETWEEN 12N AND 06N. LAYERED MIDDLE TO HIGH DEBRIS CLOUDS FROM THIS 
AND EARLIER CONVECTION PARTLY TO MOSTLY OBSCURED LOWER FEATURES FROM 
13N TO 03N.

NEARLY STATIONARY CLUSTERS OF TOWERING CUMULI AND THUNDERSTORMS 
DEVELOPED WITHIN THE AREA BOUNDED BY THE CURVE FROM 21N 157W TO 21N 
150W TO 18N 149W TO 15N 152W TO 20N 157W. LAYERED MIDDLE TO HIGH 
DEBRIS CLOUDS FROM THIS CONVECTION MOSTLY TO PARTLY OBSCURED LOWER 
FEATURES WITHIN ABOUT THE SAME AREA...THOUGH THIN STREAKS OF CIRRUS 
LAYERS ALSO EXTENDED EAST TOWARD 140W.

OTHERWISE...CLOUD COVER ACROSS HAWAIIAN WATERS CONSISTED MAINLY OF 
UNORGANIZED CLUMPS OF MARINE CUMULUS AND STRATOCUMULUS. THESE 
CLUMPS VARIED IN SIZE FROM INDIVIDUAL SMALL CUMULI TO A MAXIMUM SIZE 
OF ABOUT 300 MILES LONG AND 150 MILES WIDE. THEY OCCURRED THROUGHOUT 
THE AREA...BUT WERE MOST COMMON BETWEEN 140W AND 150W. THESE CLOUDS 
FORMED AND DISSIPATED PERIODICALLY...BUT REMAINED NEARLY STATIONARY.

ACROSS THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS...CLOUD COVER CONSISTED MOSTLY OF 
LAYERED DEBRIS CLOUDS FROM TOWERING CUMULI AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER 
AND AROUND THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI. OTHERWISE...CLOUD COVER 
CONSISTED MAINLY OF MORE TYPICAL LOW LAYERED DEBRIS FROM AFTERNOON 
CUMULUS BUILDUPS INLAND. AREAS WITH THE LEAST CLOUD COVER WERE 
LIMITED MAINLY TO NIIHAU...NORTHEAST KAUAI...NORTHWEST OAHU...WEST 
MOLOKAI...MOST OF LANAI...AND SOUTHWEST MAUI. RADAR DATA FROM NEAR 
THE ISLANDS SHOWED SCATTERED SHOWERS OFFSHORE TO THE SOUTHWEST OF 
KAUAI AND ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF THE BIG ISLAND...A LINE OF 
HEAVY SHOWERS EXTENDING OFFSHORE TO THE WEST FROM KEAHOLE POINT ON 
THE BIG ISLAND...AND AREAS OF HEAVY SHOWERS OFFSHORE WELL TO THE 
SOUTHEAST OF THE BIG ISLAND. THE LOWER CLOUDS GENERALLY ROSE TO 
HEIGHTS OF 2000 TO 7000 FEET...WHILE THE HIGHER CLOUDS APPROACHED 
HEIGHTS OF 40000 FEET.

$$

RYSHKO

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