http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php Hawaiian Islands Satellite Interpretation Message en-us W-HFO.Webmaster@noaa.gov (Honolulu Webmaster) W-HFO.Webmaster@noaa.gov (Honolulu Webmaster) 05 Jul 2009 18:30:00 GMT http://weather.gov/images/xml_logo.gif http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php Based on data through 1800 UTC July 05 2009. 05 Jul 2009 18:30:00 GMT http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php#Data http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php A high pressure system located far to the north of the main Hawaiian islands is providing the area with moderate trade winds. The trade winds contain various sizes of patches of low clouds with showers in them. These patches are widely dispersed. They tend to dissipate upon reaching the windward and mountain areas of each island and where most of the showers are occurring. Due to the depth of the moderate trades, some of these showers are carried downwind to as far as the south facing shores such as Waikiki beach on Oahu. The low clouds consist of a mixture of cumulus and stratocumulus. The last couple of hours have Kauai being influenced by one of these patches, and the windward side of the Big Island will be under the elements by one of the larger patches shortly. Low level cloud motion is from the east northeast blowing at 15 to 20 mph. Weather radar shows most of the showers are light in intensity although there were some moderate readings with the patch currently exiting Kauai. The cloud tops of these showers are no higher than 10000 feet. Oahu is the least shower-threatened island at the moment however there are a few small cloud patches further upwind. Between 600 and 1300 miles east and northeast of the Big Island is a larger stable overcast low cloud field consisting of stratocumulus clouds. The rest of the distance to the west coast is an overcast and very stable stratus field. In the tropics, satellite imagery shows an area of loose but deep convection well to our southwest, in the area of the intertropical convergence zone, between 08°N and the equator. This area appears moving slowly westward. Well to the northwest of the Hawaiian islands, a frontal system lies just to north of Midway atoll, from 33°N 170°W to 29°N 180°W to 26°N 170°E. A blob of convection is noted along the front between 170°W and 175°W. The front actually extends further north to a low pressure system at 48°N 174°W. 05 Jul 2009 18:30:00 GMT http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php#Message http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php H LAU 05 Jul 2009 18:30:00 GMT http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php#footer