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) 09 Feb 2010 12:30:00 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 1200 UTC February 09 2010. 09 Feb 2010 12:30:00 GMT http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php#Data http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php A stable trade wind flow remains in place over the main Hawaiian islands, thanks to a surface ridge sitting about 275 miles north of Kauai. Low clouds within this flow are travelling from east northeast at 20 to 25 mph east of the Big Island, veering slightly out of the east and slowing to 15 to 18 mph near Kauai. The stable conditions over the islands are being produced by a strong mid to upper level ridge that dominates much of the central Pacific. Water vapor imagery shows a sharp, eastward moving upper level trough just east of 140°W, while the axis of a broad upper level trough is nearing the date line. In between, the upper ridge is producing a vast area of subsidence over and around the islands. Under the influence of this subsidence, only few to scattered, stable stratocumulus clouds are observed moving within the trade wind flow for several hundred miles around the main Hawaiian islands, except for an area of greater cloud coverage passing south of the Big Island. Using course-resolution infrared satellite imagery, only patches of broken low clouds are noticeable across windward portions of the islands. Leeward skies appear to be mostly clear. The above mentioned upper level trough nearing the dateline is driving a pair of merging fronts over 650 miles northwest of Kauai. The first front is moving to the east around 18 mph and is marked by a 175 mile-wide band of overcast cumulus and stratocumulus clouds centered from 30°N 167°W to 20°N 180°. A second front with similar characteristics raced over Midway atoll as it moved to the east around 45 mph this evening and will merge with the other front to the east shortly. In addition, the broad upper trough is also drawing up an area of broken high clouds south of 19°N west of 170°W. 09 Feb 2010 12:30:00 GMT http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php#Message http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php DWROE 09 Feb 2010 12:30:00 GMT http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php#footer