Hawaii Extended Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 329 AM EST Mon Dec 16 2019 Valid 00Z Tue Dec 17 2019 - 00Z Tue Dec 24 2019 ...Strong trades possible Saturday... Upper ridging will continue to build into the area as a cold front dips southward east of the region Tuesday and weakens. Breezy trades late Monday will slowly decrease through Thursday. Generally light windward/mauka showers (some leeward) are likely over the next several days. By Friday, another front may approach the region and perhaps sink through the islands, enhancing some windward showers. Surface high pressure behind it may be quite strong per the model consensus (1033-1035mb) which is much stronger than average for late December. Trades may become quite breezy/windy with the strong pressure gradient (20-35kts with higher gusts) Saturday into Sunday before veering to E/ESE and slackening just a bit by Monday. By then, the models/ensembles still show developing low pressure off the ITCZ near 180 with the 00Z GFS/Canadian a bit farther east than most of the other models and ensembles (00Z ECMWF west of its 12Z/15 ensemble mean). This would keep the plume of heavier rain just west of Kauai through 00Z/24. Fracasso