160  
FXHW01 KWNH 120800  
PMDHI  
 
HAWAII EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
259 AM EST SUN FEB 12 2023  
 
VALID 00Z MON FEB 13 2023 - 00Z MON FEB 20 2023  
 
MODELS AND ENSEMBLES CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE A TREND TOWARD A MUCH  
WETTER PATTERN OVER THE NEXT WEEK. THE MOST AGREEABLE AND  
CONSISTENT THEME IN THE FORECAST IS THAT AN UPPER LOW INITIALLY  
JUST EAST OF THE STATE SHOULD WOBBLE WESTWARD TO A POSITION OVER  
THE ISLANDS BY TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY, AND THEN JUMP TO THE  
WEST-SOUTHWEST LATER IN THE WEEK AS AN UPPER RIDGE PASSES BY TO  
THE NORTH. THE UPPER LOW SHOULD STILL BE TO THE SOUTHWEST OR  
SOUTH OF THE MAIN ISLANDS THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND. MEANWHILE THE  
OPERATIONAL MODELS (WITH LESS-DEFINED SUPPORT FROM THE MEANS)  
AGREE THAT A SURFACE TROUGH WITH POSSIBLE EMBEDDED WAVE SHOULD  
CROSS THE ISLANDS FROM EAST TO WEST AROUND WEDNESDAY, AND POSSIBLY  
INTO THURSDAY PER THE SLOWER 00Z GFS/CMC. NOT SURPRISINGLY THE  
ENSEMBLE MEANS TILT TOWARD THE TIMING OF THEIR PARENT MODEL BUT  
THE GEFS MEAN DOES HINT AT SLIGHTLY FASTER TIMING THAN THE  
GFS/CMC. THUS WOULD FAVOR A COMPROMISE TIMING FOR NOW. DETAILS  
OF ANY EMBEDDED SURFACE LOW HAVE LOW PREDICTABILITY DUE TO THE  
SMALL SCALE AND DEPENDENCE ON SHORTWAVE IMPULSES THAT ARE  
DIFFICULT TO RESOLVE MULTIPLE DAYS OUT IN TIME. THIS SURFACE  
FEATURE WOULD ALTER THE RAINFALL PATTERN RELATIVE TO THE  
WINDWARD/MOUNTAIN-FOCUSED REGIME SUPPORTED BY BRISK TO STRONG  
TRADES BETWEEN NOW AND MONDAY (POSSIBLY INTO TUESDAY).  
 
ONCE THE UPPER LOW REPOSITIONS ITSELF AFTER MIDWEEK, MOST GUIDANCE  
MAINTAINS RELATIVE AGREEMENT INTO FRIDAY WITH A PRONOUNCED SURGE  
OF MOISTURE ARRIVING FROM THE SOUTHEAST AND A CORRESPONDING  
INCREASE OF HEAVY RAINFALL POTENTIAL LATE IN THE WEEK. AT THIS  
POINT THE GFS ALREADY STARTS DIVERGING FROM OTHER GUIDANCE AND  
CONTINUES TO DO SO THE REST OF THE PERIOD AS IT BRINGS MULTIPLE  
COMPACT SURFACE LOWS NORTHWARD AND DIVERTS THE AXIS OF GREATEST  
MOISTURE NORTHWARD AS WELL. THIS APPEARS TO BE AT LEAST PARTIALLY  
DUE TO THE MODEL BEING DEEPER THAN THE OTHERS WITH THE UPPER LOW.  
THE GEFS MEAN TILTS IN THE GFS DIRECTION REGARDING THE MOISTURE  
AXIS BUT AT LEAST DEPICTS LOW LEVEL FLOW CLOSER TO THE  
EAST-SOUTHEAST TRADES SEEN IN OTHER GUIDANCE AFTER THE MIDWEEK  
SURFACE TROUGH PASSES THROUGH. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE 00Z ECMWF  
HAS MADE A SOMEWHAT WESTWARD ADJUSTMENT WITH THE MOISTURE AXIS  
DURING NEXT WEEKEND WITH THE 12Z ECMWF MEAN PARTIALLY LEANING THAT  
WAY AS WELL. THE CMC TAKES A BIT LONGER FOR THIS WESTWARD SHIFT  
TO OCCUR. OVERALL PREFER AN AVERAGE OF NON-GFS GUIDANCE FROM LATE  
WEEK THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THIS WOULD LEAD TO SOME HEAVY RAINFALL  
POTENTIAL POSSIBLY EXTENDING INTO AT LEAST THE FIRST PART OF THE  
WEEKEND, WITH STRONG HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST  
PROMOTING EAST-SOUTHEASTERLY TRADES AND PRIMARILY WINDWARD  
EMPHASIS FOR RAINFALL, AND THEN THE AXIS OF GREATEST MOISTURE  
POSSIBLY DRIFTING A BIT WEST BY SUNDAY.  
 
RAUSCH  
 

 
 
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