Model Diagnostic Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 311 AM EDT Fri Jun 29 2018 Valid Jun 29/0000 UTC thru Jul 02/1200 UTC ...See NOUS42 KWNO (ADMNFD) for the status of the upper air ingest... 00Z model evaluation...including final preferences and confidence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ...Western U.S. to the Northern Plains and Upper Great Lakes... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Preference: Blend of the 00Z GFS/ECMWF Confidence: Average A mean longwave trough initially anchored over the western U.S. will gradually advance eastward while a potent disturbance well south of El Paso, Texas should lift poleward toward the Southern High Plains. Some of the most pronounced differences reside with the longwave trough, particularly with timing and depth. 582-dm ensemble spaghetti plots show 12Z ECMWF ensemble members in advance of the slower 12Z GEFS solutions with such issues not showing in prior model cycles. Considering other models, the 00Z NAM stands out as a slow outlier early on as it is more aggressive with height falls moving into the Central High Plains on Sunday morning. The resultant differences aloft also reflect at the surface as a wavy frontal zone arcs southwestward from the Upper Great Lakes back to the Central Plains. With little change noted in the 00Z ECMWF, will just stick with a blend of the GFS/ECMWF given neither budged toward the other. ...Eastern U.S.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Preference: Blend of the 00Z GFS/ECMWF Confidence: Average As a shortwave trough exits into the western Atlantic, models are in solid agreement about developing a large 594-dm mid-level ridge across the mid-Atlantic. Underneath this, a slowly meandering bundle of vorticity should retrograde from the southeastern U.S. coast back toward the Florida panhandle. Model spread is on the lower side with its position accompanied by general agreement on well above average precipitable water values over the eastern Gulf Coast. The 00Z NAM/UKMET show some impressively high QPF values by Day 3 which will be of interest in the Excessive Rainfall Outlook. Will play the more conservative approach with the pattern leaning more toward the 00Z GFS/ECMWF solutions. Model trends at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/model2.shtml 500 mb forecasts at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/h5pref/h5pref.shtml Rubin-Oster