574  
FXUS10 KWNH 180647  
PMDHMD  
 
MODEL DIAGNOSTIC DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
245 AM EDT SAT APR 18 2020  
 
VALID APR 18/0000 UTC THRU APR 21/1200 UTC  
 
...SEE NOUS42 KWNO (ADMNFD) FOR THE STATUS OF THE UPPER AIR  
INGEST...  
 
00Z MODEL EVALUATION WITH FINAL PREFERENCES AND CONFIDENCE  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
 
...SHORT WAVE ENERGY TRACKING FROM THE MID MS VALLEY INTO SOUTHERN  
NEW ENGLAND...  
...SURFACE LOW PRESSURE CROSSING THE OHIO VALLEY INTO THE NORTHERN  
MID ATLANTIC...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
PREFERENCE: GENERAL MODEL BLEND  
CONFIDENCE: SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE  
 
THE 00Z NAM/GFS ARE CLOSE TO THE CONSENSUS TAKING SHORT WAVE  
ENERGY FROM IA/MO ACROSS THE OH VALLEY INTO SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND  
BY THIS EVENING. THE SHORT WAVE AIDS IN SPINNING UP SURFACE LOW  
PRESSURE ON A FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN OH  
VALLEY, WHICH TRACKS TO THE SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND COAST. THE  
SURFACE LOW DEEPENS OFF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST AFTER 20/12Z, AND  
THE 00Z ECMWF/CMC BECOME A BIT SLOWER THAN THE CONSENSUS ONCE THIS  
OCCURS.  
 
THE DIFFERENCES ARE GREATEST ONCE THE SURFACE LOW IS WELL OFF THE  
COAST, SO THE SENSIBLE WEATHER WITH THE SYSTEM IS OFFSHORE. BASED  
ON THIS, A GENERAL MODEL BLEND IS PREFERRED, WITH SLIGHTLY ABOVE  
AVERAGE CONFIDENCE, INFLUENCED BY DIFFERENCES LATE IN THE PERIOD.  
 
   
..SHORT WAVE ENERGY IN THE SOUTHERN STREAM
 
 
...SURFACE LOW TRACKING FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TO THE MID  
ATLANTIC COAST...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
PREFERENCE: 00Z GFS/00Z ECMWF BLEND THROUGH 20/12Z, 00Z GFS/00Z  
GEFS/12Z ECMWF MEAN THEREAFTER  
CONFIDENCE: AVERAGE  
 
THE 00Z NAM/GFS ARE CLOSE TO THE CONSENSUS TAKING THE SHORT WAVE  
ENERGY IN THE SOUTHERN STREAM FROM AZ/NM INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS  
BY 20/00Z. AFTER THIS TIME, THE 00Z NAM BECOMES FLATTER AND FASTER  
WITH THE MID LEVEL WAVE, WHICH RESULTS IN A SLIGHTLY NORTHWARD  
DISPLACEMENT OF THE SURFACE LOW TRACK THAT FORMS OVER THE SOUTHERN  
PLAINS.  
 
THE 00Z GFS HAS BEEN THE MOST CONSISTENT WITH THE TRACK OF THE  
SHORT WAVE AND DEVELOPING SURFACE LOW OVER THE PAST THREE MODEL  
CYCLES. IT IS CLOSELY MIRRORED BY THE 12Z ECMWF THROUGH ABOUT  
20/00Z. THE 00Z ECMWF REMAINS FLATTER AND SLOWER WITH THE MID  
LEVEL SHORT WAVE, WHICH RESULTS IN THE SURFACE LOW LAGGING THE  
CONSENSUS, AS WELL AS BEING DISPLACED TOO FAR NORTH. BECAUSE OF  
THIS, THE 00Z ECMWF REMAINS OUT OF THE PREFERENCE AFTER 20/12Z,  
AND THE MODEL PREFERENCE BECOMES THE MORE CONSISTENT 00Z GFS,  
WHICH HAS THE SUPPORT OF THE 00Z GEFS AND 12Z ECMWF ENSEMBLE.  
 
GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF SPREAD IN THE GUIDANCE, ESPECIALLY WITH THE  
TRACK OF THE SURFACE LOW, FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS AVERAGE.  
 
...SHORT WAVE ENERGY IN THE NORTHERN STREAM FROM MANITOBA INTO THE  
UPPER GREAT LAKES...  
...ATTENDANT COLD FRONT CROSSING THE NORTHERN PLAINS INTO THE  
UPPER GREAT LAKES...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
PREFERENCE: GENERAL MODEL BLEND  
CONFIDENCE: SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE  
 
WHILE THERE IS GENERALLY GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT WITH THE SHORT WAVE  
IN THE VERY FAST MID LEVEL FLOW TRACKING FROM CENTRAL MANITOBA  
INTO THE UPPER GREAT LAKES BETWEEN 20/12Z AND 21/12Z, THE 00Z NAM  
BECOMES SLOWER THAN THE CONSENSUS WITH THE CLOSED LOW THAT FORMS  
OVER EASTERN ONTARIO BY THE END OF THE PERIOD.  
 
THERE IS ALSO FAIRLY GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT WITH TIMING OF THE  
SURFACE COLD FRONT THAT CROSSES THE NORTHERN PLAINS INTO THE GREAT  
LAKES. DESPITE SOME TIMING ISSUES IN THE SIX HOUR FORECAST PERIODS  
WITH THE FRONT, THERE IS ENOUGH MODEL CLUSTERING TO FAVOR A  
GENERAL MODEL BLEND WITH SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE FORECAST  
CONFIDENCE.  
 
   
..SHORT WAVE OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST INTO SUN
 
   
..SHORT WAVE APPROACHING THE CENTRAL CA COAST LATE
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
PREFERENCE: 00Z NAM/00Z ECMWF/00Z UKMET BLEND  
CONFIDENCE: SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE  
 
THE 00Z GFS/NAM ARE CLOSE TO THE CONSENSUS WITH THE SHORT WAVE  
THAT DROPS SOUTH FROM WESTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA ACROSS THE PACIFIC  
NORTHWEST THROUGH 19/12Z. AFTER THAT TIME, THE 00Z NAM BECOMES  
FASTER AND FLATTER WITH THE INITIAL SHORT WAVE AS IT KICKS OUT  
OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. THE 00Z GFS REMAINS CLOSER TO THE  
CONSENSUS BY EJECTING THE INITIAL SHORT WAVE MORE SLOWLY ACROSS  
THE GREAT BASIN.  
 
THE NEXT SHORT WAVE IN THE FLOW TRACKS TOWARD THE CENTRAL CA COAST  
AFTER 20/12Z. THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF MODEL SPREAD CONCERNING THE  
TIMING OF THIS SHORT WAVE, AS IT UNDERCUTS MID LEVEL RIDGING  
ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THOUGH THERE IS A LOOSE CONSENSUS  
TAKING THE MID LEVEL SYSTEM OVER NV/AZ BY THE END OF THE PERIOD,  
EACH SOLUTION TAKES A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ROUTE GETTING THERE.  
 
AFTER REVIEWING THE 00Z NON-NCEP GUIDANCE, AS WELL AS THE 00Z  
GEFS, THE 00Z GFS NOW APPEARS TO BE A FAST OUTLIER WITH THE MID  
LEVEL SYSTEM. CONSIDERING THAT MUCH OF THE REST OF THE GUIDANCE IS  
SHOWING A CLOSED MID LEVEL BY 21/12Z, THE 00Z GFS HAS BEEN REMOVED  
IN THE PREFERENCE, WITH THE 00Z NAM/UKMET INSERTED, WITH SUPPORT  
FROM THE 00Z GEFS. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THERE STILL SPREAD IN  
HOW THE MODELS GET TO THE FINAL DESTINATION, SO THE FORECAST  
CONFIDENCE REMAINS SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE.  
 
MODEL TRENDS AT WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/HTML/MODEL2.SHTML  
500 MB FORECASTS AT WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/H5PREF/H5PREF.SHTML  
 
HAYES  
 

 
 
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