ATHW40 PHFO 071821
SIMHI 
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
1830 UTC SUN SEP 07 2008
BASED ON DATA THROUGH 1800 UTC SEPTEMBER 07 2008
A TYPICAL TRADE-WIND CLOUD PATTERN HAS PERSISTED OVER THE MAIN 
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WITH LITTLE CHANGE OVER THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS.
CLOUDS ARE ISOLATED OVER NIIHAU AND LANAI. ON KAUAI AND OAHU...THERE 
ARE SHOWERY...BROKEN LOW CLOUDS OVER WINDWARD AREAS AND SCATTERED 
CLOUDS OVER LEEWARD AREAS. CLOUDS ARE ISOLATED OVER MOST AREAS OF 
MOLOKAI AND MAUI BUT THERE ARE PATCHES OF SHOWERY...BROKEN TO 
OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF EAST MOLOKAI AND OVER 
WINDWARD WEST AND EAST MAUI. ON THE BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII...THERE ARE 
SHOWERY...BROKEN TO LOW CLOUDS OVER THE COAST AND LOWER SLOPES FROM 
UPOLU POINT TO VOLCANO...BROKEN LOW CLOUDS OVER THE LOWER SLOPES 
FROM ABOVE PAHALA TO ABOVE SOUTH POINT...AND SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW 
CLOUDS OVER THE LOWER KONA SLOPES. CLOUDS ARE ISOLATED ELSEWHERE ON 
THE BIG ISLAND.
LOW CLOUD MOTION NEAR THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS IS FROM THE EAST 
NORTHEAST AT AROUND 20 MPH. THERE ARE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED LOW 
CLOUDS UPSTREAM OF KAUAI...SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW CLOUDS UPSTREAM 
OF THE ISLAND FROM OAHU TO MOLOKAI AND SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS UPSTREAM 
OF THE BIG ISLAND. THE CLOUDS UPSTREAM OF THE ISLANDS ARE PART OF A 
LARGE AREA OF LOW CLOUDS THAT EXTENDS TO THE WEST COAST OF NORTH 
AMERICA. THE CLOUDS NEAR THE COAST ARE STABLE STRATUS...GRADUALLY
CHANGING TO STRATOCUMULUS...SC...BETWEEN 130 AND 140W...BECOMING A 
MIX OF STABLE SC AND SHOWERY CUMULUS CLOUDS...CU...WEST OF 140W. THE 
CLOUDS UPSTREAM OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS ARE ORGANIZED INTO 
POORLY-DEFINED WEST NORTHWEST TO EAST SOUTHEAST BANDS. A 90 MILE 
WIDE BAND IS NORTHEAST OF A LINE FROM 26N159W TO 60 MILES NORTHEAST 
OF MOLOKAI TO 100 MILES NORTHEAST OF HILO. A 130 MILE WIDE BAND IS 
NORTHEAST OF A LINE FROM 28N157W TO 23N154W TO 21N149W.
A 180 MILE WIDE CLOUD BAND...THE TRAILING END OF A FRONTAL BAND...IS 
NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM 30N171W TO 28N175W TO 26N180. THE BAND 
CONTAINS BROKEN LAYERED CLOUDS...SCATTERED TOWERING CUMULUS CLOUDS 
AND ISOLATED CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS...CB. OVER THE PAST SEVERAL 
HOURS...THE BAND HAS SHIFTED SLOWLY NORTHWEST AHEAD OF A FRONT 
APPROACHING FROM FARTHER NORTHWEST.
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY...WHICH SHOWS FEATURES MAINLY ABOVE 24000 FT... 
SHOWS A TROUGH ALOFT FROM 28N140W THROUGH A LOW 425 MILES EAST 
NORTHEAST OF HILO AT 21N149W TO 17N152W. THE LOW AND TROUGH HAVE 
BEEN MOVING TOWARD THE WEST SLOWLY. THERE IS LITTLE CLOUDINESS 
ASSOCIATED THE TROUGH AND IT IS HARD TO DETECT EXCEPT ON WATER VAPOR 
IMAGERY. A POORLY DEFINED TROUGH ALOFT IS CENTERED FROM 30N175W TO 
24N175W TO 22N180. A 220 MILE WIDE BAND OF BROKEN LAYERED CLOUDS AND 
ISOLATED CB ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROUGH IS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 
21N157W TO 20N180.
$$
DONALDSON