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3 METEOROLOGY
Pages 18-32

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From page 18...
... The mountains are the remnants of basaltic volcanoes overlaid with thin soil. These thin soils and fractured rocks are capable initially of absorbing steady rains of several inches per day, but once the porous media is saturated, flooding rapidly ensues.
From page 19...
... A cold front extending from a low-pressure center at 37°N, 142°W, weakened into a shear line in the vicinity of the islands. A shear line has few of the classical characteristics of a front but is a center of strong low-level convergence between weak east winds or, in this instance, east-southeasterly winds to the south and fresh north or northeast winds to the north.
From page 20...
... All images were stored on videotape and subsequently analyzed. The 10-degree horizon due to the adjacent mountain ridges and the radarts 20-degree vertical-beam width limit the range at which shallow clouds can be detected; clouds over northern Oahu must exceed 20,000 feet to be detected.
From page 21...
... A WSR-74 radar at Hickam Air Force Base adjacent to Honolulu International Airport reported no significant tops over Oahu. Hickam did report a few tops at 19,000 to 21,000 feet to the south and west of Oahu during the afternoon and evening.
From page 22...
... 22 ~'3~ -~,^~ 12~0 HST, Dcc.
From page 23...
... I ~ 1 .1 lilt .... cannot detect shallow clouds at azimuths between 300 and 360 degrees due to blockage by mountains.
From page 24...
... These four standard raingauges lie on the windward slope of the Koolau Mountains. Puuomao (state raingauge no.
From page 25...
... January 1, adapted from analyses performed by Me Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources. Rainfall contours (isohyets)
From page 26...
... In addition to the standard raingauges mentioned above, 14 recording raingauges were in the area of the heavies" reins. Some are telemetered to the NWS's Forecast Office at Honolulu International Airport.
From page 27...
... The southern Koolau Mountains form a curve from a northwest-southeast orientation along their northern and central portions to a more west-east orientation. North and north-northeast surface winds encountered a barrier oriented perpendicular to the flow; orographic lifting was accentuated.
From page 29...
... At the Kailua fire station, 5.5 miles windward of the crest of the Koolau range, 6-hour rainfalls were less than those expected every 10 years. The same is true of the raingauge at the Hawaii Kai Golf Course, which is located 1 mile southeast of the eastern edge of the Koolau crest.
From page 30...
... A MODEL OF THE NEW YEAR'S EVE STORM Figure 10 depicts the situation along the windward slope of the Koolau range on New Year's Eve. Freshening north-northeasterly winds associated with a slowly moving shear line lifted along the southern rampart of the Koolau Mountains above Waimanalo.
From page 31...
... Figure 9 24-hour rainfall accumulation for southeasterly Oahu for 8:00 a.m. December 31 through 8:00 a.m.
From page 32...
... WIND DAMAGE As the shear line moved over Oahu, north-northeasterly winds increased in strength to 40 to 50 mph over the Koolau and Waianae crests and funneled through leeward valleys. Unofficial reports of 60 to 80-mph gusts were received at the NWS 's Forecast Of lice.


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