High Wind Warning 5, NWS Honolulu, HI

551 
WWHW70 PHFO 111330
NPWHFO

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
330 AM HST SAT DEC 11 2010

...WINDY CONDITIONS CONTINUE OVER BIG ISLAND SUMMITS...

.A TROUGH ALOFT PASSING NORTH OF THE ISLANDS IS BRINGING STRONG
WEST WINDS TO THE SUMMITS AND UPPER ELEVATIONS OF THE BIG ISLAND. 
WINDS WILL GRADUALLY EASE THIS AFTERNOON AS THE TROUGH CONTINUES TO 
DISTANCE ITSELF FROM THE ISLANDS.

HIZ028-120230-
/O.CAN.PHFO.HW.W.0005.000000T0000Z-101211T1600Z/
/O.NEW.PHFO.WI.Y.0049.101211T1330Z-101212T0400Z/
BIG ISLAND SUMMITS-
330 AM HST SAT DEC 11 2010

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST THIS EVENING...
...HIGH WIND WARNING IS CANCELLED...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HONOLULU HAS ISSUED A WIND
ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST THIS EVENING. THE
HIGH WIND WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED. 

WEST WINDS WILL BE 30 TO 40 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS THROUGH THIS
MORNING. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH THIS AFTERNOON...DROPPING
BELOW ADVISORY SPEEDS BY TONIGHT. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS OF 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED. WINDS
THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT...ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH
PROFILE VEHICLES. WITH RECENT SNOWFALL ON THE SUMMITS...THESE
STRONG WINDS WILL RESULT IN BLOWING SNOW AND SNOW DRIFTS. 

&&

$$

BIRCHARD

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
830 PM HST FRI DEC 10 2010

.SYNOPSIS...
A FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST DOWN THE ISLAND CHAIN TONIGHT AND EARLY
SATURDAY...BRINGING A THREAT OF ISOLATED HEAVY SHOWERS. LIGHT
NORTHEAST WINDS ARE EXPECTED ON SATURDAY...WITH A DIMINISHING THREAT
OF HEAVY SHOWERS. LIGHT EASTERLY WINDS WILL PREVAIL ON SUNDAY...AS
THE ISLAND ATMOSPHERE GRADUALLY DRIES OUT. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO
BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE ON MONDAY...WITH LIGHT SOUTHEAST WINDS AND
MOSTLY DRY WEATHER EXPECTED FOR MOST OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A BROKEN LINE OF HEAVY SHOWERS JUST MOVED SOUTHEAST ACROSS KAUAI...
AND IS OVER ADJACENT WATERS...APPEARING TO MARK A RATHER WEAK
AND POORLY DEFINED SURFACE FRONT. SHOWERS ALONG THE FRONT STILL
HAVE SOME VIGOR THOUGH...AS WATER VAPOR IMAGERY CLEARLY OUTLINES AN
UPPER TROUGH AXIS THAT IS CURRENTLY CROSSING KAUAI/S LONGITUDE...
PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR DEEP CONVECTION. WILL LEAVE THE FLASH FLOOD
WATCH AS IS FOR NOW...BUT THE THREAT OF HEAVY SHOWERS IS EXPECTED TO
DIMINISH FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE NIGHT...AS THE FRONT AND
UPPER TROUGH MOVE EAST. MAY MAKE SOME CHANGES TO THE WATCH A LITTLE
LATER THIS EVENING...BUT WILL MONITOR RADAR AND SATELLITE TRENDS A
LITTLE LONGER BEFORE DOING SO.

ELSEWHERE...LAYERED CLOUDS ARE IN THE PROCESS OF SLOWLY THINNING
OVER THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE CHAIN...BUT AREAS OF LIGHT RAIN
PERSIST OVER THE BIG ISLAND...WITH HEAVIER RAIN OVER OFFSHORE WATERS
WELL TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE BIG ISLAND. SNOW CONTINUES TO FALL OVER
THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS...AND A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN
EFFECT. LOCALLY GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS CONTINUE TO OCCUR IN THE
VICINITY OF THE STRATIFORM RAIN AREA...WITH A GUST TO 35 MPH
REPORTED IN THE LAST HOUR AT KONA INTERNATIONAL.

THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS IS FORECAST TO SWING EAST OF THE ISLANDS
OVERNIGHT...REMOVING THE SUPPORT FOR DEEP CONVECTION BY SATURDAY...
AND THUS THE THREAT OF HEAVY SHOWERS IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH AS
WELL. THE PASSAGE OF THE FRONT WILL USHER IN A LIGHT NORTHEAST
WIND...AS A WEAK SURFACE HIGH BUILDS NORTH OF THE ISLANDS. A WEAK
LINE OF CONVERGENCE SOUTH OF THE BUILDING HIGH MAY BRING A FEW
WINDWARD SHOWERS TO KAUAI ON SATURDAY...BUT OTHERWISE EXPECTING A
GRADUAL DRYING TREND THIS WEEKEND...AND INTO NEXT WEEK.

THE HIGH WILL MOVE RAPIDLY EAST INTO NEXT WEEK...WITH SATURDAY/S
LIGHT NORTHEAST TRADES SWINGING TO THE EAST ON SUNDAY...AND TO THE
SOUTHEAST ON MONDAY...AS A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS WESTWARD FROM THE
HIGH...AND LIES OVER THE ISLANDS. ALTHOUGH LINGERING FRONTAL
MOISTURE POOLED TO OUR EAST IS EXPECTED TO BE BROUGHT BACK
OVER THE ISLANDS FROM THE EAST ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY...THE REMAINDER
OF THE WEEK LOOKS TO BE DRY...WITH LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS...
ACCOMPANIED BY A STABILIZING MID-LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE ISLANDS.

BY NEXT WEEKEND...A CLOSED LOW ALOFT IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP WEST OF
THE ISLANDS...BY BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF. HOWEVER...THE LOCATION OF
THE LOW VARIES ENOUGH TO REDUCE CONFIDENCE.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 600 AM HST SATURDAY FOR ALL HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM HST SATURDAY FOR BIG
ISLAND SUMMITS.

&&

BIRCHARD

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
642 PM HST FRI DEC 10 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0615 PM     SNOW             17 SE KAMUELA           19.84N 155.45W
12/10/2010  E6.0 INCH        HAWAII IN HAWAII   HI   CO-OP OBSERVER

            HAWAII INSTITUTE FOR ASTRONOMY PERSONNEL REPORT 6 TO 8
            INCHES OF SNOW...WITH DRIFTS TO 1 FOOT...ON SUMMIT OF
            MAUNA KEA

&&

BIRCHARD