Subject: Central Pacific: Satellite Interpretation Message

From: LDM Weather <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 06:26:08 -0600

448 
ATHW40 PHFO 181226
SIMHI 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
1230 UTC MON FEB 18 2008

BASED ON DATA THROUGH 1200 UTC FEBRUARY 18 2008

A NEARLY STATIONARY EAST TO WEST ORIENTED SURFACE RIDGE WAS NEAR THE 
BIG ISLAND THIS MORNING. THERE WAS ALSO RIDGING ALOFT ABOVE THE 
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. THESE WEATHER FEATURES WERE PRODUCING LIGHT 
SURFACE WINDS ACROSS THE STATE...AS WELL AS RELATIVELY STABLE 
ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS. AS A RESULT...LAND BREEZES HAVE DEVELOPED 
OVER MOST OF THE ISLANDS TONIGHT. THESE DRAINAGE WINDS WERE FLOWING 
FROM MAUKA TO MAKAI...WHICH WAS ALLOWING SOME OF THE CLOUD COVER 
OVER LAND TO GRADUALLY DIMINISH TONIGHT. SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATED 
SOME RELATIVELY SMALL PATCHES OF LOW CLOUDS WERE OVER PARTS OF THE 
HAWAIIAN COASTAL WATERS.

THE LOW CLOUDS NEAR THE SMALLER ISLANDS WERE MOVING SLOWLY TOWARD 
THE NORTH OR NORTHEAST. THE LOW CLOUDS NEAR THE SOUTHERN BIG ISLAND 
APPEARED TO BE MOVING SLOWLY WESTWARD. THE HIGHEST TOPS OF THE LOW 
CLOUDS ACROSS THE STATE WERE ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 7 THOUSAND FEET.

AS OF 200 AM HST MONDAY...SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS WERE OVER PARTS OF 
KAUAI. SCATTERED TO LOCALLY BROKEN LOW CLOUDS WERE ABOVE SOME 
SECTIONS OF OAHU. SKIES WERE MOSTLY CLEAR ON MOLOKAI...WHILE 
SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW CLOUDS WERE DETECTED ON PARTS OF LANAI. 
SMALL PATCHES OF LOW CLOUDS APPEARED TO BE OVER PARTS OF SOUTHERN 
AND WESTERN COASTAL SECTIONS OF MAUI. THERE WERE SCATTERED TO 
LOCALLY BROKEN LOW CLOUDS OVER SOME OF THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE 
BIG ISLAND.

ACCORDING TO WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND SATELLITE DERIVED UPPER LEVEL 
WINDS...THE MIDDLE AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WAS LOCATED HIGH ABOVE THE 
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. AS A RESULT...THE UPPER LEVEL WINDS ACROSS THE 
ISLANDS WERE FROM THE NORTHWEST AT 20 TO 30 MPH. THE RIDGING WAS 
PRODUCING SIGNIFICANT SUBSIDENCE ALOFT...WHICH HAS MAINTAINED THE 
RELATIVELY STABLE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS WHICH HAVE BEEN OBSERVED 
ACROSS MOST OF THE ALOHA STATE DURING THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS. 

ELSEWHERE...BANDS OF CLOUDS AND SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH SURFACE 
FRONTS WERE LOCATED FAR AWAY FROM THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. THE LEADING 
EDGE OF THE FIRST BAND OF BROKEN TO OVERCAST LAYERED CLOUDS WITH 
EMBEDDED SHOWERS WAS WITHIN 170 MILES WEST OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM 
NEAR 30N 142W THROUGH 26.5N 146.5W TO 23N 153W...OR ABOUT 250 MILES 
NORTH NORTHEAST OF HILO. THIS BAND HAS MOVED EAST AT ABOUT 20 MPH 
DURING THE PAST 6 HOURS.

THE LEADING EDGE OF THE SECOND 90 MILE WIDE BAND OF SCATTERED TO 
BROKEN LOW CLOUDS WITH EMBEDDED SCATTERED SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH A 
SURFACE FRONT EXTENDED FROM NEAR 30N 167.5W TO 26N 176W...OR ABOUT 
300 MILES EAST OF MIDWAY ATOLL. THIS LEADING EDGE HAS MOVED EAST AT 
30 TO 35 MPH DURING THE PAST 6 HOURS.

$$ 

HOUSTON

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