Subject: Central Pacific: Satellite Interpretation Message

From: LDM Weather <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:25:25 -0600

910 
ATHW40 PHFO 180525
SIMHI 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
0530 UTC MON FEB 18 2008

BASED ON DATA THROUGH 0500 UTC FEBRUARY 18 2008

RIDGING AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT ACROSS THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WAS 
PRODUCING A LIGHT WIND REGIME. AS A RESULT...CONVERGENCE OVER THE 
ISLANDS PRODUCED BY AFTERNOON SEABREEZES CAUSED BROKEN TO LOCALLY 
OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS TO DEVELOP ABOVE THE INTERIOR OF MANY ISLANDS. 
SATELLITE IMAGERY ALSO DETECTED SCATTERED TO LOCALLY BROKEN LOW 
CLOUDS OVER PARTS OF THE COASTAL WATERS FROM OAHU TO THE NORTHERN 
BIG ISLAND. BROKEN TO OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS WERE OVER THE COASTAL 
WATERS IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE LEEWARD AND SOUTHEAST BIG ISLAND 
COASTLINE. THERE WERE ALSO NARROW BANDS OF LOW CLOUDS EXTENDING 
NORTHEAST FROM KAUAI AND NIIHAU.

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

AS OF 700 PM HST SUNDAY...SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW CLOUDS WERE OVER 
PARTS OF THE MOUNTAINOUS INTERIOR AND NORTHERN SECTIONS OF KAUAI. 
BROKEN LOW CLOUDS WERE ABOVE THE MOUNTAINS ON OAHU...WHILE SCATTERED 
LOW CLOUDS WERE ELSEWHERE ON THAT ISLAND. BROKEN TO OVERCAST LOW 
CLOUDS COVERED THE EASTERN HALF OF MOLOKAI. THERE WERE SCATTERED TO 
BROKEN LOW CLOUDS OVER LANAI AND THE REMAINDER OF MOLOKAI. BROKEN TO 
LOCALLY OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS WERE ACROSS MOST OF MAUI BELOW THE 
SUMMIT OF HALEAKALA. THERE WERE BROKEN TO OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS ON 
NEARLY ALL OF THE BIG ISLAND BELOW THE SNOW COVERED PEAKS OF MAUNA 
LOA AND MAUNA KEA.

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 UPPER LEVEL SUBSIDENCE ALOFT...WHICH HAS 
MAINTAINED THE RELATIVELY STABLE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS WE HAVE BEEN 
EXPERIENCING THIS WEEKEND. 

ELSEWHERE...BANDS OF CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH SURFACE FRONTS WERE 
LOCATED FAR AWAY FROM THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. ONE BAND OF BROKEN TO 
OVERCAST LAYERED CLOUDS WITH EMBEDDED SHOWERS WAS WITHIN 200 MILES 
EAST OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM NEAR 30N 150W THROUGH 27.5N 151.5W TO 
25.5N 154W...OR ABOUT 420 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF HILO. THIS BAND 
WAS MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 25 MPH.

THE LEADING EDGE OF THE SECOND 110 MILE WIDE BAND OF SCATTERED TO 
BROKEN LOW CLOUDS WITH EMBEDDED SCATTERED SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH A 
SURFACE FRONT EXTENDED FROM NEAR 30N 173W TO 25N 180...OR ABOUT 100 
MILES EAST OF MIDWAY ATOLL. THIS LEADING EDGE HAS BEEN MOVING EAST 
AT 35 TO 40 MPH DURING THE PAST 6 HOURS.

$$ 

HOUSTON

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