MKWC archive forecast page
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Please select a year and month and links of all available forecasts for that period will be given in the 'Select Forecast' menu.
Selection: 2003
09
Sep 03 2003 (morning)



Latest Forecast for Mauna Kea Observatories
10 am HST (2000 UTC) Wednesday 03 September 2003

Warnings
None

Cloud Cover and Precipitation Forecast
The summit will remain clear and dry through the night.

Summary of Key Meteorological Variables
Summit temperatures will be near 10 C today, 5 C tonight, and 4.5 C tomorrow morning. Precipitable water is expected to be in the 2 to 2.5 mm range tonight and 1.75 to 2.25 mm range tomorrow morning. Winds will be from the northeast at 20 to 30 mph this afternoon, 15 to 25 mph tonight, and 10 to 20 mph tomorrow morning. Shear will be between 25 to 35 mph.

Discussion
The tradewind inversion will remain strong and well-defined below 6 to 8 thousand feet through the next three nights. This will limit low-level moisture ascent and keep the summit free of fog and precipitation during this time. Daytime clouds will be very minimal and short-lived, if at all.

No high clouds are expected to be within 700 km of the summit through Friday night.

Summit winds are projected to drop from the 20 to 30 mph range to 15 to 25 mph by tonight, eventually settling in the 10 to 20 mph range tomorrow morning through Friday night. Wind direction will start out from the northeast but will be slowly veering to easterlies over the next three nights.

Minimum overnight summit temperatures will be near 4.5 C tonight and 3.5 C on Thursday and Friday night.

Precipitable water is expected to drop from around 2 mm for tonight to about 1.5 mm (possibly slightly lower) for Thursday and Friday night.

The mid-level ridge still remains to the northwest of the Islands. However, it continues to slide eastward, stretching its dominance across the Pacific Ocean. This ridge will remain in control of summit weather as it prompts large-scale subsidence over our region during the next three nights, at the very least. This will help maintain a strong and low tradewind inversion, which in turn will keep summit air dry. Precipitable water is also expected to decline as the subsidence dries out the 300 to 400 mb layer. Finally, summit temperatures will remain relatively high due to adiabatic warming induced by the subsidence. Meanwhile, the tropical upper tropospheric trough will continue to be meekly established over the Islands during the next 3 days. In fact, a weak upper-level low is slated to develop to the west of the Islands on Friday. However, neither the TUTT nor the low will bring or develop any high clouds near the summit through Saturday. Overall, excellent conditions are expected over the next three nights.

Astronomical Observing Quality Guidance

Vertical Profiles from MM5 (vertical coordinate is pressure in mb):
2 pm HST Wed 03 Sep (0000 UTC Thu 04 Sep) Seeing Cn2
5 pm HST Wed 03 Sep (0300 UTC Thu 04 Sep) Seeing Cn2
8 pm HST Wed 03 Sep (0600 UTC Thu 04 Sep) Seeing Cn2
11 pm HST Wed 03 Sep (0900 UTC Thu 04 Sep) Seeing Cn2
2 am HST Thu 04 Sep (1200 UTC Thu 04 Sep) Seeing Cn2
5 am HST Thu 04 Sep (1500 UTC Thu 04 Sep) Seeing Cn2
8 am HST Thu 04 Sep (1800 UTC Thu 04 Sep) Seeing Cn2
Tonight's (Wednesday Night) CollageSeeing Cn2
Thursday Night's Collage (available after 0800 HST on Thursday)Seeing Cn2
Friday Night's Collage (available after 0800 HST on Friday)Seeing Cn2



3-day Forecast
Summary

(Latest GFS Trend)
2 pm HST
Wed 03 Sep
8 pm HST
Wed 03 Sep
2 am HST
Thu 04 Sep
2 pm HST
Thu 04 Sep
8 pm HST
Thu 04 Sep
2 am HST
Fri 05 Sep
2 pm HST
Fri 05 Sep
8 pm HST
Fri 05 Sep
2 am HST
Sat 06 Sep
0000 UTC
Thu 04 Sep
0600 UTC
Thu 04 Sep
1200 UTC
Thu 04 Sep
0000 UTC
Fri 05 Sep
0600 UTC
Fri 05 Sep
1200 UTC
Fri 05 Sep
0000 UTC
Sat 06 Sep
0600 UTC
Sat 06 Sep
1200 UTC
Sat 06 Sep
PW (mm, summit upward) 2.5 to 3.5 2 to 2.5 1.75 to 2.25 1.5 to 2 1.25 to 1.75 1.25 to 1.75 1.25 to 1.75 1.25 to 1.75 1.25 to 1.75
Summit Temp (oC) 10 5 4.5 9.5 4 3.5 10 4 3.5
Wind Dir/Speed (mph)
    Summit
    19,000 ft (500 hPa)
    24,500 ft (400 hPa)
    31,000 ft (300 hPa)
    35,000 ft (250 hPa)
    40,000 ft (200 hPa)
    46,000 ft (150 hPa)
    54,000 ft (100 hPa)
 
NE/20 to 30
NNE/12
NW/8
NW/11
NW/13
NNW/11
N/10
ENE/8
 
NE/15 to 25
NNE/11
NW/8
WNW/13
WNW/17
NW/17
NW/3
ENE/9
 
NE/10 to 20
NNE/7
NW/8
W/19
WNW/24
WNW/21
W/9
ENE/12
 
ENE/10 to 20
NE/3
WSW/4
WSW/18
W/26
WSW/24
WSW/16
ESE/13
 
ENE/10 to 20
ENE/3
SW/5
WSW/19
WSW/23
WSW/24
WSW/13
E/13
 
ENE/10 to 20
ESE/3
SSW/10
SW/23
WSW/23
WSW/21
SW/10
ESE/12
 
E/10 to 20
SSE/8
SSW/19
SW/25
SW/24
SSW/26
SSW/21
ESE/13
 
ESE/10 to 20
SE/10
S/21
SSW/22
SSW/22
SSW/24
SSW/17
ESE/16
 
E/10 to 20
ESE/15
SSE/18
SSW/18
SSW/20
SSW/22
SSW/15
ESE/13


Night (HST)
Sun Set
Twilight End
Twilight Beg
Sun Rise
Moon Rise
Moon Set
Illum (%)
RA
Dec
Wed.Sep.03/Thu.Sep.04
18:44
19:50
4:53
5:58
N/A
0:29
59
17 25.5
-26 10
Thu.Sep.04/Fri.Sep.05
18:43
19:49
4:53
5:58
N/A
1:28
70
18 27.8
-27 14
Fri.Sep.05/Sat.Sep.06
18:43
19:48
4:53
5:59
N/A
2:29
80
19 29.8
-26 37


Forecast issued by: Ryan Lyman
rlyman@hawaii.edu
(808) 932-2323

Next update at 5 pm HST Wednesday 03 September (0300 UTC Thursday 04 September) 2003.
Please call or email to be placed on the Mauna Kea Weather Bulletin email list.


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This page was last modified on: Wed, Apr 22 2009 - 2058 UTC
Send comments to: Ryan Lyman