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ATHW40 PHFO 280027

SIMHI 



HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE

NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI

0030 UTC WED JAN 28 2009



BASED ON DATA THROUGH 0000 UTC JANUARY 28 2009



A STALLED COLD FRONT IS DRAPED ACROSS THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE 

MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS THIS AFTERNOON...WHILE THE ASSOCIATED PARENT 

LOW DRIFTS SLOWLY EASTWARD APPROXIMATELY 425 MILES NORTH OF KAUAI.



THE SURFACE LOW IS CENTERED NEAR 28N159W AND IS ACTUALLY PART OF A 

DEEP...VERTICALLY STACKED AREA OF LOW PRESSURE EXTENDING THROUGHOUT 

THE DEPTH OF THE TROPOSPHERE. THIS FEATURE HAD BEEN MOVING TOWARD 

THE EAST SOUTHEAST AROUND 10 MPH OVERNIGHT...BUT ITS MOTION HAS 

SLOWED DRAMATICALLY TODAY. THE UPPER LOW IS MAINTAINING A RATHER 

VIGOROUS...SLOW-MOVING SURFACE FRONT NORTH OF 23N. THIS PORTION OF 

THE FRONT IS MARKED BY A 200 MILE-WIDE BAND OF OVERCAST LAYERED 

CLOUDS CENTERED ALONG 30N154W...26N154W...AND 23N155W. ISOLATED... 

EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS RISE TO 41 KFT ALONG THE FRONT NORTH OF 

26N...WITH ANOTHER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS RISING TO 30 KFT ALONG THE 

EASTERN FLANK OF THE COLD CORE OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW.



THE STALLED FRONT WEAKENS CONSIDERABLY SOUTH OF 23N OVER THE MAIN 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS...WHERE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WANES. THE FRONT 

EXTENDS FROM 23N155W OVER THE CENTRAL ISLANDS TO 20N159W AS A 250 

MILE-WIDE BAND OF BROKEN TO OVERCAST STRATOCUMULUS TO CUMULUS 

CLOUDS. FURTHER SOUTHWEST...THE FRONT WEAKENS INTO A SHEAR LINE AND 

BECOMES COMPRISED OF A BAND OF SCATTERED TO BROKEN CUMULUS CENTERED 

ALONG 20N159W TO 15N170W TO 12N180.



THE COLD FRONT IS BLANKETING OAHU AND MAUI COUNTY WITH BROKEN TO 

OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS. THE CUMULUS CLOUD TOPS AROUND MAUI COUNTY RISE 

AS HIGH AS 15 KFT...WITH TOPS MAXING OUT AROUND 12 KFT OVER OAHU. 



CONTRASTING AIR MASSES ARE OBSERVED ON EACH END OF THE ISLAND CHAIN. 

BEHIND THE FRONT...FEW TO SCATTERED...STABLE STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS 

ARE TRAVELLING FROM THE NORTHWEST AT SLIGHTLY LESS THAN 15 MPH OVER 

WATERS AROUND KAUAI...RESULTING IN LOCALLY BROKEN CLOUDS OVER THE 

INTERIOR AND NORTH SHORE OF THE GARDEN ISLE. AHEAD OF THE FRONT... 

FEW TO SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS ARE MOVING FROM THE SOUTHEAST AT 18 MPH 

AROUND BIG ISLAND WATERS. DAY TIME SEA BREEZES HAVE LED TO THE 

FORMATION OF BROKEN TO OVERCAST...MAINLY STABLE LOW CLOUDS OVER ALL 

MIDDLE AND UPPER SLOPES OF THE BIG ISLAND.



ELSEWHERE...MOST OF THE CENTRAL PACIFIC TO THE WEST OF THE FRONT AND 

LOW IS DOMINATED BY STABLE...BROKEN STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS. STABLE 

STRATOCUMULUS PREVAILS EAST OF THE FRONT AS WELL...BUT A WEAK 

SURFACE TROUGH APPROACHING THE AREA FROM THE EAST IS PRODUCING A 

SMALL FIELD OF CUMULUS CLOUDS NEAR 140W BETWEEN 18N AND 24N.



$$

WROE