Sunday, October 10, 2010

Hawaiian Islands Satellite Interpretation Message

Hawaiian Islands Satellite Interpretation Message
Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:30:00 -0500

Based on data through 0500 UTC October 11 2010.

The area of broken to overcast clouds and showers that moved across the state Sunday morning and afternoon is at this writing over and south of Kauai and moving west. These clouds are layered to near 16000 feet. Also over and near Kauai are scattered to broken high clouds at 35000 feet. These high clouds, which are on the southeast side of a small upper level low centered near 23°N 162°W, have been moving very slowly to the northwest.

Over Oahu, there are a handful of cloud lines running parallel to and southwest of the Koolau mountains. These mountain wave clouds, which usually occur when the trades are swift and the atmosphere is stable, are good indicators of low level turbulence. The clouds are stationary with tops near 5500 feet.

Down the island chain, Molokai Lanai and Maui are for the most part clear except for areas of broken to overcast clouds over higher terrain. Cloud tops here are near 4000 feet with some up to 8500 feet.

A good portion of the Big Island below 8500 feet is covered with broken clouds. The clouds are rapidly on the decrease however, as is usually the case in the evening hours. The greatest cloud cover can be seen over the southern end of the island. Skies above 8500 feet are clear.

Except for all of the clouds around Kauai and south of Oahu, ocean coastal waters surrounding the islands are sitting under scattered fair weather cumulus clouds. Further afield, there are two patches of broken shower-bearing clouds 100 miles northeast of the Big Island and 150 miles northeast of Oahu. All of the low clouds over water are moving to the west at 20 to 25 mph in the trade winds.

Out many hundred miles northeast and several hundred miles southwest of the islands, there are nothing but low clouds below the trade wind subsidence inversion. Aside from the patchy high clouds over Kauai, there are high clouds south of a jetstream running from 23°N 170°W southeastward to 14°N 155°W then northeastward to 18°N 140°W and beyond. These high clouds are being blown off the tops of scattered thunderstorms along the intertropical convergence zone, ITCZ. The ITCZ straddles 10°N with most of the 53000 foot high thunderstorms west of 162°W.

Central Pacific Infrared Satellite image for 0500 UTC


CRAIG


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