The ICZ (Intratropical Convergence Zone) is void of water vapor.

January 25, 2014
1630.19z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of north and west hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop - Thank you.)

The overriding presence of movement appears to be Jet Stream at this point. What is troubling is the vortex in the Atlantic offshore of Africa. It is incorporated into the Jet Stream. There is a significant water vapor at it's northern boundary. It may very well develop into a Superstorm.

There are telltale presence of the ICZ, but, the water vapor is gone. When the vortexes showed up in 2002 I was concerned about the jet stream as it was mostly undetectable. But, every few days there would be similar 'telling signs' of the Jet Stream if one was looking for it. I have records that detailed the jet stream at the time of the vortexes. It got really strange in it's global travel before the vortexes finally appeared. Two. One in the North Atlantic (North Atlantic Oscillation) and one in the North Pacific (Arctic Oscillation). If one knows anything about the oscillation phenomena of Earth, they never appear at the same time.

Hawaii might want to declare a state of emergency if it's tourism business is falling off due to storms.

The 'white foamy' appearance is aeration of ocean salt water. That degree of aeration of Pacific waters means it is really stirred up far into the ocean.

Spectators watch giant waves from the cliffside at Waimea Bay as high surf hits the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, where a big-wave surfing competition was called off. 


Half Moon Bay, California: (click here) With a Pacific storm pushing big waves toward California, organisers of a contest at one of the world's most perilous surfing spots have told competitors to grab their boards and get ready.

Jeff Clark, director of the Mavericks event, set the contest for Friday after forecasters predicted that the mix of swell size and weather would make for waves with faces exceeding 12 metres.

Twenty-four of the world's best big wave surfers now have until then to make their way to the break a 0.8-kilometre off the coast near Half Moon Bay.
Two seasoned watermen have died there, including legendary big-wave rider Mark Foo from Hawaii in 1994....

...The huge swells are being generated by a powerful low pressure system in the central Pacific.

The same weather system that has delivered monster swells to Hawaii this week.

Some of the biggest waves to hit Hawaii in years began slamming onto shore on Wednesday, turning beachgoers into spectators as waves up to 12 metres tall crashed into idyllic getaways.

Waves up to 15 metres high were feared on the famous North Shore of Oahu and at other islands.

Beaches were closed across the island chain as the surge hit on Wednesday and Thursday.

Coastal roads and parking lots reportedly flooded as wind gusts up to 64 km/h whipped onlookers and tore fronds from palm trees. Officials urged surfers not to risk their lives to ride the violent surges....

The wave height is across the entire Pacific Ocean. The Marine Data (click here) of the central Pacific is unavailable. The other regions of the Pacific are quiet. It is a movement of wind that has raised the water height from the West Pacific completely across to the East Pacific. The velocity must be homogenous for the height to be this consistent across that body of water. Of course, these heights are in the upper layer of the Pacific. The floating 'beige sand' in the picture above is near shore water turbulence. It didn't come from Asia or the bottom of the Pacific.

The Jet Stream is carrying the turbulence. The water vapor is dropping across the planet that supports the vortexes. Below is the current snow fall map of the USA. There is far less snow that one would expect with such severe cold winds and storms.

The areas of the USA where snow has accumulated the drought has been relieved. The Mississippi and East of Mississippi have received tropical water vapor to relieve the drought. But, the Jet Stream is not carrying significant water vapor to cause rain storms in the west.

If the water vapor is significantly absent in the lower troposphere, there may be far less vortexes since they are water vapor dependent. 

Indonesia is receiving rain across the week with little to no wind expected. Australia is expecting another heat wave within a day or so. The last of the ships stuck in the Antarctica sea ice arrived at port a couple days ago.

Australia's climate map states they expect rain at or above the average. The southern hemisphere has less land mass than the northern hemisphere. They might be expecting reasonable temperatures as they move into autumn and winter.