Hawaiian Islands Satellite Interpretation Message
Sun, 12 Sep 2010 19:30:00 -0500
Based on data through 0000 UTC September 13 2010.
A somewhat dry trade wind flow is in place over the main Hawaiian islands, while an upper level low to the northwest is generating instability mainly west of the islands.
A small area of moisture moving along the trade wind flow is producing a greater amount of low clouds over the Big Island, compared to the smaller islands. Broken to overcast low clouds cover nearly all of the Big Island below 6500 ft and extend for over 100 miles to the north.
Cloud cover decreases dramatically over waters around the smaller islands. Few to scattered low clouds are travelling from the east around 15 mph around Maui county and Oahu easing slightly and veering out of the east southeast near Kauai, with precipitable water values in the trade wind flow running about 80 percent of normal. This is resulting in small patches of broken low clouds across windward slopes and over the sheltered, heated, leeward slopes where afternoon sea breezes have kicked in.
Despite the unimpressive amount of moisture, sea breezes on leeward Kauai have produced more extensive cloud cover with cumulus cloud tops reaching around 15 kft. These shower-bearing clouds are being triggered by modest instability from an upper low to the northwest.
The stalled upper level low nearly 600 miles northwest of Kauai is producing greater instability to the west and is supporting a pair of westward-drifting surface troughs. The weaker surface trough runs along 30°N 162°W and 27°N 168°W. Isolated towering cumulus cells and thunderstorms rise to 38 kft within 75 miles of the trough. A deeper surface trough is found at the base of the upper low along 25°N 167°W and 20°N 170°W. Broken layered clouds with embedded thunderstorms rising to 42 kft are observed within 250 miles east of the trough. A 200 mile-wide ribbon of broken high clouds emanating from this area had been over Kauai earlier in the day. The high cloud band has lifted just north of the garden isle and extends for nearly 1000 miles to the northeast to 28°N 148°W.
To the south of the state, isolated thunderstorms within the ITCZ rise between 42 and 50 kft from 14°N to 09°N. This is slightly north of the typical ITCZ position.
DWROE
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