073
ATHW40 PHFO 080528
SIMHI
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
0530 UTC SUN NOV 08 2009
BASED ON DATA THROUGH 0500 UTC NOVEMBER 08 2009
A SURFACE RIDGE LOCATED FAR NORTH OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WAS
MAINTAINING MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH LOW-LEVEL TRADE WIND FLOW
ACROSS THE ALOHA STATE EARLY THIS EVENING. THE TRADES WERE CARRYING
SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW CLOUDS WITH EMBEDDED SCATTERED SHOWERS
ACROSS MOST OF THE WINDWARD HAWAIIAN COASTAL WATERS. THESE LOW
CLOUDS AND SHOWERS EXTENDED UPWIND OF THE ISLANDS CHAIN FOR MORE
THAN 250 MILES. NARROW PLUMES OF SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW CLOUDS AND
ISOLATED SHOWERS WERE ALSO EVIDENT LEEWARD OF SOME OF THE ISLANDS.
IN ADDITION TO THE LOW CLOUDS...SCATTERED TO LOCALLY BROKEN CIRRUS
CLOUDS WERE ALSO TRAVELLING RAPIDLY EASTWARD HIGH ABOVE THE ISLAND
CHAIN.
THE INDIVIDUAL LOW CLOUD ELEMENTS OVER THE WINDWARD COASTAL WATERS
WERE GENERALLY MOVING WESTWARD AT 20 TO 25 MPH. THE HIGHEST TOPS OF
THE LOW CLOUDS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 11 THOUSAND FEET OVER THE
WATERS ADJACENT TO THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
AS OF 700 PM HST SATURDAY...BROKEN TO LOCALLY OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS
COVERED MOST OF THE EASTERN HALF OF KAUAI...WHILE SCATTERED LOW
CLOUDS WERE ELSEWHERE ON THAT ISLAND. BROKEN TO LOCALLY OVERCAST LOW
CLOUDS WERE ALONG THE KOOLAU RANGE AND WINDWARD SHORELINE OF OAHU.
THERE WERE SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW CLOUDS ELSEWHERE ACROSS OAHU.
SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW CLOUDS WERE OVER THE EASTERN ONE-THIRD OF
MOLOKAI AND CENTRAL LANAI. THERE WERE MAINLY SCATTERED LOW CLOUD
ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF MOLOKAI AND LANAI. ON MAUI...BROKEN LOW
CLOUDS WERE DETECTED OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS...THE SOUTH CENTRAL
VALLEY AND THE LOWER LEEWARD SLOPES OF MOUNT HALEAKALA. THERE WERE
MAINLY SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS ELSEWHERE ON THAT ISLAND. BROKEN TO
LOCALLY OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS WERE ACROSS MOST OF THE LOWER ELEVATIONS
OF THE SOUTHWESTERN AND SOUTHERN BIG ISLAND. THERE WERE SCATTERED TO
BROKEN LOW CLOUDS OVER MOST OF THE NORTHEASTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN BIG
ISLAND.
ACCORDING TO LOOPS OF WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND SATELLITE DERIVED
UPPER LEVEL WINDS...AN UPPER TROPOSPHERIC LOW WAS CENTERED NEAR 25N
173W...OR ABOUT 890 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF LIHUE AND 410 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF MIDWAY ATOLL. THIS FEATURE HAS DRIFTED SLOWLY TOWARD
THE NORTH NORTHEAST DURING THE PAST 6 HOURS. BROKEN TO OVERCAST
LAYERED CLOUDS WITH EMBEDDED ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH
THIS UPPER LEVEL LOW WERE WITHIN 325 MILES ON EITHER SIDE OF A LINE
FROM 22N 169W TO 31.5N 167.5W. ELSEWHERE...A NEARLY STATIONARY
ANTICYCLONE ALOFT WAS CENTERED NEAR 08N 153W...OR ABOUT 850 MILES
SOUTH OF HILO. THE UPPER TROPOSPHERIC RIDGE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS
UPPER LEVEL HIGH EXTENDED NORTHWARD OVER THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. THIS
WAS RESULTING IN WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT ACROSS THE ALOHA STATE WITH
WIND SPEEDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH. THESE UPPER LEVEL WINDS WERE CARRYING
THE PATCHES OF CIRRUS OVER THE ISLANDS.
IN THE DEEP TROPICS FAR SOUTH OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS...THE
INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE...OR ITCZ...EXTENDED FROM NEAR 08N
140W TO 06.5N 160W TO 03N 180W. SCATTERED TOWERING CUMULUS CLOUDS
AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE WITHIN 240 MILES ON EITHER SIDE OF
THE ITCZ. THE HIGHEST TOPS OF THESE CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS EXTENDED UP
TO NEAR 49 THOUSAND FEET.
HOUSTON
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