Model Diagnostic Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 1116 PM EST Thu Jan 09 2020 Valid Jan 10/0000 UTC thru Jan 13/1200 UTC ...See NOUS42 KWNO (ADMNFD) for the status of the upper air ingest... 00Z Model Evaluation with Preferences and Forecast Confidence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ...CONUS... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Preference: Non-CMC blend Exceptions: Prefer 18z GFS over 00z across MS Valley/Great Lakes Sat/Sun Remove 00z NAM over Northwest US/Southwest Canada Day 3 Confidence: Slightly above to above average The overall pattern continues to tighten into a common solution throughout the short-term forecast period with the systems moving through the larger scale broad cyclonic pattern in the CONUS. The only exception to this is the 12z CMC which remains in a typically negative bias of being a bit slow through the evolution of each system. This is particularly the case with the current deep meridional trof with the base shortwave currently across AZ, evolving into a deep surface cyclone across the MS River Valley into the Great Lakes by late Sat into Sunday. Interestingly, the 00z GFS showed a slight shift, trending a bit faster with the initial shortwave pulse through the Southwest, enhancing the 25H jet a bit stronger/faster leading it to be generally weaker and therefore faster as the cyclone cycles across the Great Lakes. It is not terribly out of tolerance compared to the 00z NAM, 12z ECMWF/UKMET or ensemble guidance of the 18z GEFS and 12z ECENS, but just enough to support utilizing the 18z GFS over it, particularly with this first system. Eventually, the wave stretches eastward in the strong increasingly confluent mid to upper level flow across the Lower Great Lakes into the Northeast, even the weaker GFS remains in solid agreement to have slightly above to above average confidence in the non-CMC preference. Upstream, Gulf of AK compact shortwave/closed low broadens/opens up across the Pacific NW, under strong model congruence. As the wave broadens the large scale trof through the Intermountain West, only the 12z CMC continues to lag/slow, to keep it less favorable. Eventually, the shortwave reaches the southeast side of the larger trof and sharpens with some negative tilting across the Lower MO Valley by 0z Mon, here the 12z UKMET is a tad slower than the ECMWF/GFS/NAM so would suggest a bit less of its influence in the preference but overall a Non-CMC blend remains preferred here as well. ---Pacific NW Day 3--- The next shortwave sharpens along the eastern side of the Alaskan Omega Block drawing a portion of the polar vortex and associated cold air into BC and Alberta; this is where the greatest uncertainty remains, as the 12z CMC is very cold and much further west with the wave, but looks better within the ensemble suite (particularly compared to ECMWF/ECENS solutions) relative to elsewhere in the CONUS. The 00z NAM, like prior runs shows greater phasing and stronger amplification of the wave dropping it into S BC and the northern Rockies by 84hrs, which seems a bit too aggressive, and while it is not too far out of the realm of possibility, it is less favored and likely should be removed in the preference across this area by the end of Day 3. Otherwise, the GFS, UKMET and ECWMF have solid enough agreement by the end of day 3 in a low to mild ensemble spread regime to have higher confidence in this blend overall. Model trends at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/model2.shtml 500 mb forecasts at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/h5pref/h5pref.shtml Gallina