Hawaiian Islands Satellite Interpretation Message

Hawaiian Islands Satellite Interpretation Message
Mon, 13 Sep 2010 19:30:00 -0500

Based on data through 0000 UTC September 14 2010.

Surface high pressure centered just north of 30°N is producing a rather dry trade wind flow over most of the area, while an upper level low is producing instability west of main Hawaiian islands.

Scattered to locally broken stratocumulus and cumulus clouds are moving along the trade wind flow near the islands from the east at 15 to 20 mph. One small area of broken low clouds is moving across the Big Island, where broken to overcast low clouds cover all but the immediate leeward coast and summits above 8500 ft. Low cloud cover diminishes greatly around the smaller islands, where only small patches of broken low clouds are observed across windward slopes. Areas of broken low clouds are also found along the heated, sheltered leeward slopes due to daytime sea breezes.

Strong high pressure aloft centered near 24°N 140°W is producing subsidence over Maui and a vast expanse east of the state. Precipitable water values in this area are running around 1.1 inches, which is roughly 80 percent of normal for September.

An upper level low centered just over 600 miles northwest of Kauai near 27°N 168°W is generating instability west of the main Hawaiian islands. This feature is drifting west and is producing a surface trough, roughly along 30°N 165°W, 25°N 172°W, and 17°N 174°W. Isolated thunderstorms rise as high as 43 kft within 225 miles southeast of the trough. Broken high clouds along the eastern flank of the upper low have thinned substantially in the past 18 hours and are now confined to a small shield north of the main Hawaiian islands between 30°N and 25°N from 158°W to 153°W.

To the south of the state, the ITCZ remains north of 10°N, though nearly all of the thunderstorm activity is now found west of 160°W. A developing trough in the ITCZ is drifting west slowly along 15°N 163°W to 09°N 171°W. This feature is marked by isolated thunderstorms rising to 51 kft within 200 miles to the southeast of the trough axis. Isolated thunderstorms are also found between 12°N and 08°N west of 171°W.

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DWROE

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