Subject: Central Pacific: Satellite Interpretation Message

From: LDM Weather <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 06:40:45 -0600

145 
ATHW40 PHFO 161240
SIMHI 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
1230 UTC WED JAN 16 2008

BASED ON DATA THROUGH 1200 UTC JANUARY 16 2008

THE LOCAL LOW-LEVEL ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION PATTERN WAS BEING 
DOMINATED BY A LARGE GALE LOW LOCATED FAR NORTH NORTHEAST OF THE 
ISLAND CHAIN. STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS CONTINUED TO CAUSE MOSTLY CLOUDY 
CONDITIONS ACROSS THE WESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS...THE BIG ISLAND AND 
THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS TONIGHT. THERE WAS SLIGHTLY LESS CLOUD 
COVER NEAR MAUI COUNTY...BUT CLOUDS WERE OVER MOST OF THE COASTAL 
WATERS JUST NORTHEAST OF MOLOKAI AND MAUI. THESE STABLE LOW CLOUDS 
WERE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COOL AIR MASS THAT CONTINUED TO ADVECT IN 
FROM THE NORTH TOWARD THE ISLANDS.  

THE LOW CLOUDS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS SURROUNDING THE ISLANDS WERE 
GENERALLY MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTH SOUTHWEST AT 10 TO 15 MPH. THE 
HIGHEST TOPS OF THESE STABLE LOW CLOUDS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE NEAR 5 
THOUSAND FEET.

AS OF 200 AM HST WEDNESDAY...SKIES WERE MOSTLY CLOUDY OVER KAUAI... 
OAHU AND MOST LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE WINDWARD BIG ISLAND. SCATTERED 
LOW CLOUDS WERE ALONG THE NORTHERN SHORES OF MOLOKAI...AND ALONG 
PARTS OF THE NORTHEASTERN MAUI COASTLINE. PARTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS 
WERE EVIDENT OVER PARTS OF THE LEEWARD BIG ISLAND COAST.

ACCORDING TO LOOPS OF WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND SATELLITE DERIVED 
UPPER LEVEL WINDS...THE CENTER OF A LARGE MIDDLE AND UPPER 
TROPOSPHERIC LOW WAS LOCATED NEAR 31N 151W...OR ABOUT ABOUT 830 
MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF HILO. THIS SYSTEM APPEARED TO HAVE REMAINED 
NEARLY STATIONARY DURING THE PAST 6 HOURS. 

AT THE SURFACE...THE GALE LOW REFLECTING THIS UPPER LEVEL LOW WAS 
CENTERED NEAR 32N 151W...OR ABOUT 880 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF HILO. 
THIS LOW HAS MOVED LITTLE DURING THE PAST 6 HOURS. SCATTERED 
TOWERING CUMULUS CLOUDS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH TOPS NEAR 37 
THOUSAND FEET WERE WITHIN 240 MILES IN THE EAST SEMICIRCLE OF THE 
LOW. A 100 MILE WIDE BAND OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH TOPS NEAR 
43 THOUSAND FEET WERE ALSO ABOUT 500 MILES EAST AND NORTHEAST OF THE 
CENTER. THE VAST EXPANSE OF BROKEN TO OVERCAST STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS 
STREAMING TOWARD THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WERE ON THE SOUTHWESTERN 
PERIPHERY OF THE BROAD COUNTERCLOCKWISE CIRCULATION AROUND THIS LOW.

ELSEWHERE ALOFT...A BAND OF BROKEN CIRRUS CLOUDS TRAVELLING TOWARD 
THE EAST NORTHEAST REPRESENTED THE CORE OF A SUBTROPICAL JET STREAM 
LOCATED ABOUT 300 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF HILO. THIS JET STREAM HAS 
BEEN GRADUALLY SHIFTING SOUTHEAST AWAY FROM THE BIG ISLAND.

$$

HOUSTON

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