Model Diagnostic Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 531 AM EDT Sat Aug 11 2018 Valid Aug 11/0000 UTC thru Aug 14/1200 UTC ...See NOUS42 KWNO (ADMNFD) for the status of the upper air ingest... 00Z model evaluation with final preferences ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ...Overall Synoptic Pattern across the CONUS... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Preference: non 00Z NAM blend Confidence: Average There are three main upper trough/closed low features to key in on for the short range. An upper trough will develop over the upper Ohio Valley by Sunday morning and slowly progress east through Tuesday, while the second feature will manifest as an upper trough/closed low over the southern High Plains which slowly advances northeastward into the central Plains. The third feature is a closed low currently advancing toward the Pacific Northwest which is expected to open up into a positively tilted trough axis to move across southern Canada and the north-central U.S. through Tuesday morning. Out east, the 00Z NAM is a bit faster late Saturday into Sunday to advance an 850-700 mb low into the Northeast, with a good consensus to be slower in both the deterministic and ensemble guidance. The differences in the NAM fade into Monday/Tuesday, but the 12Z UKMET becomes notably slower/flatter with the 700-500 mb low approaching the Northeast. The 00Z UKMET adjusted toward the consensus here leaving only the NAM as the model excluded from the preference. Across the Plains, there are minor differences in placement between each model, but overall agreement is good enough to support a general model blend. In the Northwest, only the 00Z NAM stands out from the remaining guidance with less mid-level energy hanging back across Washington/Oregon. No significant changes were noted between the 00Z ECMWF/UKMET/CMC from their previous 12Z cycles across the central and western U.S. Model trends at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/model2.shtml 500 mb forecasts at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/h5pref/h5pref.shtml Otto