Subject: Central Pacific: Satellite Interpretation Message

From: LDM Weather <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2010 18:29:53 -0600

383 
ATHW40 PHFO 310029
SIMHI 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
0030 UTC FRI DEC 31 2010

BASED ON DATA THROUGH 0000 UTC DECEMBER 31 2010

A COMPLEX WEATHER PATTERN CONTINUES OVER THE REGION...WHILE 
HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT OVER AND EAST OF THE MAIN 
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS HAS USHERED IN A TRADE WIND FLOW.

A NEARLY ZONAL...OR WEST TO EAST FLOWING...JET STREAM IS RACING 
ACROSS THE WESTERN PACIFIC ROUGHLY ALONG 30N...THEN ABRUPTLY TURNS 
TO THE NORTHEAST NEAR 160W AS IT SLAMS INTO AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE 
ESTABLISHED ALONG 140W. AT THE BASE OF THE UPPER RIDGE...A CENTER OF 
HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT IS PARKED 675 MILES EAST OF THE BIG ISLAND NEAR 
21N145W. MEANWHILE...A NEARLY STATIONARY UPPER LEVEL LOW IS 
CENTERED NEARLY 1000 MILES SOUTHWEST OF OAHU AT 12N170W.

A TRADE WIND FLOW IS ESTABLISHED OVER ALL OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN 
ISLANDS AS THE UPPER HIGH EAST OF THE STATE AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE 
HIGH PRESSURE EXERT A GREATER INFLUENCE AND THE UPPER LOW TO THE 
SOUTHWEST WEAKENS AND FILLS. MAINLY SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS NEAR THE 
ISLANDS ARE TRAVELLING FROM THE EAST AROUND 20 MPH.

LOW CLOUD COVER OVER THE ISLANDS IS GREATEST OVER THE WESTERN END OF 
THE STATE...AS A BATCH OF BROKEN STRATOCUMULUS AND CUMULUS CLOUDS 
COVERS MOST OF KAUAI. THIS AREA OF CLOUDS CLEARED OAHU EARLIER IN 
THE AFTERNOON BUT HAS LEFT BROKEN LOW CLOUDS ALONG THE KOOLAU RANGE. 
HOWEVER...NARROW BANDS OF LOW CLOUDS DOWNWIND OF AND PARALLEL TO 
THE KOOLAU RANGE PERSIST...HINTING AT THE STABLE CONDITIONS THAT 
HAVE SET UP OVER THE STATE. SATELLITE-DERIVED PRECIPITABLE WATER 
ESTIMATES SHOW 1.3 INCHES NEAR KAUAI TAPERING OFF TO AROUND 1 INCH 
EAST OF OAHU. AS A RESULT...ONLY PATCHES OF BROKEN LOW CLOUDS ARE 
FOUND ALONG WINDWARD SECTIONS OF MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG ISLAND 
NORTH OF OOKALA. SEA BREEZES HAVE LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF BROKEN 
LOW CLOUDS ALONG LEEWARD SLOPES OF THE BIG ISLAND BELOW 7000 FT 
SOUTH OF KAMUELA.

WITH THE ZONAL JET STREAM ABRUPTLY CHANGING COURSE OVER THE FAR 
NORTHWEST PORTION OF THE AREA...A SERIES OF FRONTS ARE STACKED UP 
OVER NORTHERN WATERS...AS WELL AS A FIELD OF BROKEN HIGH CLOUDS 
NORTH OF 23N EAST OF 167W. A TROUGH ALONG 30N152W...26N160W...AND 
20N169W IS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 15 MPH NORTH OF 26N AND IS STALLED 
TO THE SOUTH. ANOTHER DECAYING FRONT RUNS ALONG 30N151W AND 28N166W. 
RAGGED LOW CLOUD BANDS...ROUGHLY 150 MILES WIDE...MARK THESE 
FEATURES. ANOTHER FRONT AT 30N180 IS MOVING TO THE EAST NEAR 40 MPH 
AND IS MARKED BY A 200 MILE WIDE BAND OF LAYERED CLOUDS.

TO THE SOUTH OF THE STATE...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH TOPS TO 
51000 FT ARE BEING TRIGGERED BY THE UPPER LOW ALONG THE ITCZ NEAR 
07N159W. ELSEWHERE...THUNDERSTORMS ARE NON-EXISTENT ALONG THE 
ITCZ...WHICH IS CONFINED SOUTH OF 10N.

$$

DWROE

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