Hawaiian Islands Satellite Interpretation Message
Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:30:00 -0500
Based on data through 0500 UTC September 21 2010.
The presence of a surface high located far north northwest of Kauai was maintaining moderate northeasterly winds across the Hawaiian island chain early this evening. These winds were transporting scattered to broken low clouds and isolated to locally scattered showers associated with the remnants of an old frontal system across the windward coastal waters adjacent to Molokai, Maui and the Big Island. The greatest shower coverage was over the waters southeast of the Big Island. There was also a large plume of scattered to broken low clouds with embedded isolated showers extending southwest of the Kona coast of the Big Island. There were mainly scattered low clouds elsewhere across the Hawaiian coastal waters at dusk this evening.
The general motion of the low clouds across the Hawaiian coastal waters was toward the west southwest at about 20 mph. The highest tops of the low clouds over the ocean surrounding the Hawaiian islands were estimated to be about 5 thousand feet.
As of 700 pm HST Monday, scattered to locally broken low clouds were over the windward facing slopes and higher terrain on Kauai, while scattered low clouds were elsewhere on that island. Scattered to broken low clouds were along the Koolau range and windward shorelines of Oahu. Broken low clouds were above the eastern tip of Molokai. Scattered low clouds were over central Lanai and the remainder of Molokai. On Maui, broken low clouds were along the lower windward slopes of mount Haleakala, the windward shorelines the western mountains and parts of the south central valley, including the lower elevations of the southwest facing slopes of mount Haleakala. Broken to overcast low clouds covered most of the lower slopes and coastal sections of the Kona and southern Kau districts of the Big Island. Broken low low clouds were along the windward coastal areas of the Big Island.
The ragged band of broken clouds and scattered showers associated with the remnants of an old front were within 100 miles southeast of a line from Hilo to 23°N 150°W to 27°N 140°W. This band appeared to have shifted slowly toward the north northwest during the past 6 hours. In addition to this band, the leading edge of another batch of broken low clouds and scattered showers extended from a point 90 miles northeast of Honolulu to a point 75 miles northeast of Hana on the island of Maui. This leading edge has moved southwest at about 15 mph during the past 6 hours, .with a noticeable increase in the coverage of low clouds and showers during the past couple of hours.
According to loops of water vapor imagery and satellite derived upper level winds, the axis of a relatively weak northeast to southwest oriented upper tropospheric trough extended from near 30°N 145°W to 26.5°N 150°W across Oahu and Molokai to 19°N 159.5°W. The portion of this trough aloft located west of 150°W has moved little, while the northern portion has propagated slowly southeast during the past 6 hours. This feature has not made a significant impact on island weather today. However, the trough may be supporting the ragged band of clouds and showers along the remnants of the former front adjacent to the eastern Big Island.
In the deep tropics far south of the Hawaiian islands, a nearly east to west oriented surface trough extended from near 11.5°N 140°W to 12°N 144.5°W to 10°N 151.5°W. Isolated moderate thunderstorms were within 180 miles on either side of this trough. Elsewhere, the intertropical convergence zone, or ITCZ, extended from near 08.5°N 153°W to 08°N 166°W to 06°N 173°W to 05°N 180°W. Isolated to locally scattered moderate thunderstorms were within 130 miles on either side of the ITCZ. The highest tops of the cumulonimbus clouds associated with the surface trough and the ITCZ were estimated to be about 47 thousand feet.
HOUSTON
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