Model Diagnostic Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 308 AM EDT Sat Aug 10 2019 Valid Aug 10/0000 UTC thru Aug 13/1200 UTC ...See NOUS42 KWNO (ADMNFD) for the status of the upper air ingest... 00Z Final Model Evaluation with Preferences and Confidence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ...Overall Pattern Across the CONUS... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Preference: Days 1-2: General model blend with limited weight on the NAM Day 3: General model blend with limited weight on the CMC Confidence: Average, Slightly below average by day 3 07Z Update: Although the general synoptic pattern evolution remains in good agreement, the 00Z suite has shown an increase in spread of small scale features both D1-2, and on D3 as well. For D1-2, through Sunday, the NAM is now a very slow and south outlier with a potent shortwave ejecting atop Sonora, Mexico and around the Monsoon ridge towards CO by day 2. Since this feature will likely aid in producing significant Monsoon rainfall, suggest a minimal weight on the NAM due to its much different evolution from the global consensus. By day 3 the CMC remains fast with shortwaves moving through the more zonal flow. Previous Discussion: Flow across the CONUS will gradually transition from a trough-ridge-trough to a more zonal pattern by early next week. This flattening of the Central Plains ridge is well agreed upon by the global suite, and although the NAM is a bit stronger with lowering the heights across the central CONUS, it is within the ensemble envelope and can be used in the blend. The challenge will be how the merging, or at least interaction, of two shortwaves, one from the filling upper low moving into the Pac NW, and the other moving into the SW around the Monsoon ridge, will temporally and spatially evolve into early next week. The CMC appears the fastest with energy moving atop the ridge in the increasingly zonal flow, while the UKMET is a bit on the slow end, especially with its QPF. There remains fairly large spread in the QPF fields across the Central Plains and into the western Great Lakes by Monday, despite minimal differences in the position of the parent shortwaves. Since the CMC begins to outrun the consensus with this shortwave, as well as with a subsequent impulse dropping into the NW late on day 3, it should be used with caution late in the forecast. However, due to the large variability by day 3, hesitate to remove any of the guidance and instead recommend just lower weight on the CMC, with significant use of the means to reduce some of the spread. Model trends at www.wpc.noaa.gov/html/model2.html 500 mb forecasts at www.wpc.noaa.gov/h5pref/h5pref.shtml Weiss