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Heavy rainfall and high-elevation snowfall in Hawai’i

By Scott Bachmeier •

GOES-15 Water Vapor (6.5 µm) images, with overlays of GFS model 500 hPa geopotential height [click to play animation]

GOES-15 Water Vapor (6.5 µm) images, with overlays of GFS model 500 hPa geopotential height [click to play animation]

6-hour interval GOES-15 (GOES-West) Water Vapor (6.5 µm) images with overlays of GFS model 500 hPa geopotential height (above) showed middle to upper tropospheric moisture that was being drawn northwestward toward Hawai’i by the circulation of a closed low centered southwest of the state during the 01-02 December 2016 period.

A closer view using 15-minute interval GOES-15 Water Vapor images (below) showed 2 distinct pulses of moisture moving across the eastern portion of the island chain. Due to the prolonged flow of moisture and the variable terrain, Flood Warnings and Winter Storm Warnings were issued for the Big Island of Hawai’i (as shown using RealEarth).

GOES-15 Water Vapor (6.5 µm) images, with hourly surface reports [click to play MP4 animation]

GOES-15 Water Vapor (6.5 µm) images, with hourly surface reports [click to play MP4 animation]

Hourly images of the MIMIC Total Precipitable Water (TPW) product (below) showed the large plume of moisture, which had its roots within the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Maximum TPW values in the vicinity of Hawai’i were in the 50-55 mm (2.0-2.2 inch) range. 24-hour rainfall amounts were as high as 6.27 inches on the island of Hawai’i and 3.67 inches on the island of Kauai.

MIMIC Total Precipitable Water product, with tropical surface analyses [click to play animation]

MIMIC Total Precipitable Water product, with tropical surface analyses [click to play animation]

===== 03 December Update =====

GOES-15 Visible (0.63 µm) images (below) provided glimpses of the snow-covered peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa (circled in red) on the Big Island of Hawai’i early in the day on 03 December.

GOES-15 Visible (0.63 µm) images, with hourly surface reports [click to play animation]

GOES-15 Visible (0.63 µm) images, with hourly surface reports [click to play animation]

Categories: GOES-15, Heavy rain / flooding, RealEarth, Winter weather