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ATHW40 PHFO 270026

SIMHI 



HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE

NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI

0030 UTC TUE JAN 27 2009



BASED ON DATA THROUGH 0000 UTC JANUARY 27 2009



A STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW CENTERED 550 MILES NORTH OF KAUAI IS 

DRIVING A COLD FRONT THAT IS MOVING ACROSS THE GARDEN ISLE THIS 

AFTERNOON.



THE UPPER LOW IS CENTERED NEAR 30N161W AND IS DROPPING TO THE SOUTH 

SOUTHEAST AROUND 18 MPH...WHILE A SURFACE LOW APPEARS TO BE 

DEVELOPING TO THE NORTH NEAR 31N161W. A SHORT WAVE ALOFT THAT WAS 

ROTATING ALONG THE SOUTHWEST FLANK OF THE UPPER LOW OVERNIGHT 

APPEARS TO HAVE BOTTOMED OUT AT THE BASE OF AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH 

EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER LOW TO 23N162W. THE SHORT WAVE IS 

TRAVELLING TO THE EAST AROUND 30 MPH AS IT PASSES NORTH OF THE 

ISLANDS. 



UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE SHORTWAVE ALOFT...THE SURFACE FRONT IS 

RATHER VIGOROUS NORTH OF 24N...BUT CLOSER TO THE ISLANDS IT WEAKENS 

RAPIDLY SOUTHEAST OF 24N...WHERE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT IS WANING. THE 

FRONT IS MARKED BY A 175 MILE-WIDE BAND OF OVERCAST LAYERED CLOUDS 

CENTERED ALONG 30N158W...27N157W...AND 24N159W. ISOLATED...EMBEDDED 

THUNDERSTORMS RISE AS HIGH AS 43 KFT ALONG THIS PORTION OF THE 

FRONT. TO THE SOUTHWEST...THE FRONT CONTINUES AS A BAND OF BROKEN TO 

OVERCAST CUMULUS CLOUDS THROUGH 19N170W AND 16N180. NEAR THE 

STATE...THE FRONT IS TRAVELLING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH...WITH 

CLOUD TOPS GENERALLY REACHING 10 TO 12 KFT...BUT A NARROW BAND OF 

TOWERING CUMULUS CLOUDS AT THE LEADING EDGE OF THE FRONT RISES 

BETWEEN 15 TO 18 KFT JUST OFF THE NORTHWEST COAST OF KAUAI.



THE SHIELD OF HIGH CLOUDS THAT HAD BEEN OBSCURING THE MAIN HAWAIIAN 

ISLANDS THIS MORNING HAS CLEARED KAUAI AND OAHU AND IS THINNING 

SUBSTANTIALLY OVER THE EASTERN END OF THE STATE AS AN AREA OF 

DIFFLUENCE ALOFT ALONG THE FLANK OF THE UPPER LOW SHIFTS 

NORTHEASTWARD. THE SHIELD OF BROKEN HIGH CLOUDS IS NOW LOCATED 

WITHIN 250 MILES OF A LINE FROM 30N151W TO 24N150W TO 19N155W.



BROKEN CUMULUS CLOUDS DOMINATE OVER KAUAI AND OAHU THIS AFTERNOON. 

THESE CONDITIONS ARE THE RESULT OF SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS MOVING FROM 

THE SOUTHWEST AROUND 10 TO 15 MPH OVER ADJACENT WATERS BECOMING 

ENHANCED BY AFTERNOON SEA BREEZES OVER THE ISLANDS. THESE CLOUDS 

GENERALLY RISE AS HIGH AS 10 TO 12 KFT AS THE ATMOSPHERE GRADUALLY 

DESTABILIZES OVER THE WESTERN END OF THE ISLAND CHAIN. HIGH CLOUDS 

PARTIALLY OBSCURE THE EASTERN END OF THE STATE...BUT LOCALLY BROKEN 

LOW CLOUDS ARE FOUND OVER THE HIGH TERRAIN OF MAUI COUNTY AND THE 

BIG ISLAND...WITH THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVERAGE NOTED 

ACROSS THE LEEWARD KONA AND KOHALA DISTRICTS.



STABLE...RIDGING ALOFT DOMINATES FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES EAST OF 

THE ISLANDS. BANDS OF SCATTERED TO BROKEN STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS ARE 

MOVING WITHIN THE TRADE WIND FLOW...GIVING WAY TO SCATTERED CUMULUS 

CLOUDS EAST OF 150W AS THE UPPER RIDGE IS ERODED BY A NEARLY 

STATIONARY UPPER LOW 1350 MILES EAST OF THE STATE.



$$

WROE