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) 22 Nov 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 November 22 2009. 22 Nov 2009 18:30:00 GMT http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php#Data http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php An area of showery low clouds, that passed over the islands from Maui westward over the past 12 hours or so, is over Kauai this morning, and is in the process of clearing that island as well. However, another area of broken showery cumulus ' cu' is now approaching windward Big Island in a moderate trade wind flow, but the other islands have just a few small showers upwind to the east. High clouds associated with an trough in the middle and upper atmosphere are exiting the region to the south and east while also decreasing in coverage. On Kauai, the eastern two-thirds of the islands are covered in broken showery cu, while the leeward side of the island is under mostly sunny skies. Only few cu are noted over windward waters within 80 miles east of Kauai, at which point a narrow northeast to southwest oriented band of showery cu exists. The southwest portion of this weakly organized band lies over windward Oahu waters, and extends about 300 miles to the northeast. The windward slopes and coast of Oahu are under broken to overcast showery cu and stratocumulus ' sc' , while the central and leeward portions of Oahu are mostly sunny with few cu. Windward slopes of Molokai and Maui are under broken cu this morning, with some clouds spreading toward the kalaupapa peninsula on Molokai, and aside from scattered cu and sc over Lanai, the remainder of Maui county is under sunny skies and few cu. The Big Island is mostly clear this morning, but an area of broken cu and sc lies just offshore to the east of Hilo, as winds flowing down the mountain slope are meeting the incoming trade flow. Skies near Cape Kumukahi are cloudy with broken cu as part of the area of clouds lies overhead. Low clouds and showers near the islands are moving toward the west at speeds near 23 mph. Water vapor imagery shows a very dry air mass over the islands in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere, as an upper trough axis southeast of the Big Island continues moving east away from the islands, and a large anticyclone west of the islands inches eastward. The resultant northerly flow aloft is supporting a stable air mass over the islands, despite the presence of showery low clouds in the low levels. 22 Nov 2009 18:30:00 GMT http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php#Message http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php BIRCHARD 22 Nov 2009 18:30:00 GMT http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/sim.php#footer