918 
ATHW40 PHFO 170533
SIMHI 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SATELLITE INTERPRETATION MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
0530 UTC SUN MAR 17 2013

BASED ON DATA THROUGH 0500 UTC MARCH 17 2013

THE MOST NOTICEABLE CLOUD FEATURE IN THE CENTRAL NORTH PACIFIC IS AN 
ARC OF OVERCAST LAYERED CLOUDS WITHIN AN AREA BOUNDED BY 44N146W 
33N134W 25N144W 34N157W 42N153W AND BACK TO 44N146W. THESE CLOUDS 
MERGE WITH A RAGGED AREA OF BROKEN TO OVERCAST LAYERED CLOUDS SOUTH 
AND EAST OF A LINE FROM 30N148W TO 24N155W TO 20N166W TO 14N171W. 
THE FIRST AREA OF OVERCAST LAYERED CLOUDS MARKS THE EASTERN AND 
NORTHERN FLANKS OF A COMPLEX LOW CENTERED NEAR 32N154W...WHILE THE 
RAGGED BROKEN CLOUDS FARTHER TO THE SOUTH MARK AN ASSOCIATED FRONTAL 
BOUNDARY. THESE CLOUDS COVER THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS...MAKING THE 
VIEW OF LOWER CLOUDS THERE DIFFICULT TO IMPOSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN 
INFRARED IMAGERY. 

THE NORTHWEST EDGE OF THE LAYERED CLOUDS LIES ALMOST OVER 
KAUAI...ALLOWING US TO SEE SCATTERED TO PATCHY BROKEN LOW CLOUDS 
MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST ACROSS KAUAI NORTHWEST WATERS AT ABOUT 
15 MPH. SATELLITE LOOP SHOWS THAT GAPS IN THE LAYERED CLOUDS MAY 
HAVE ALLOWED A VIEW OF LOWER CLOUDS IN VISIBLE IMAGERY THIS 
AFTERNOON...BUT THESE GAPS HAVE MOSTLY CLOSED WITHIN THE PAST FEW 
HOURS AS THE LAYERED CLOUDS HAVE THICKENED. CLOUD MOTION AT LAYERED 
CLOUD TOP LEVEL IS SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS THE MAIN HAWAIIAN 
ISLANDS...BUT THE AREA AFFECTED HAS NOT CHANGED MUCH OVER THE PAST 
12 HOURS. HOWEVER...A LARGE AREA OF PARTICULARLY DENSE OVERCAST 
LAYERED CLOUDS IS APPROACHING THE ISLANDS FROM THE SOUTHWEST...SO 
EVEN OUR LIMITED VIEW OF LOW CLOUDS ACROSS KAUAI NORTHWEST WATERS 
MAY BE BLOCKED LATER TONIGHT.

$$

POWELL