366  
FXUS10 KWNH 131646  
PMDHMD  
MODEL DIAGNOSTIC DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
1145 AM EST THU FEB 13 2020  
 
VALID FEB 13/1200 UTC THRU FEB 17/0000 UTC  
 
...SEE NOUS42 KWNO (ADMNFD) FOR THE STATUS OF THE UPPER AIR  
INGEST...  
 
12Z MODEL EVALUATION WITH PREFERENCES & CONFIDENCE  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
 
OVERALL PATTERN ACROSS THE CONUS  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
PREFERENCE: GENERAL MODEL BLEND  
EXCEPTION: 12Z GFS/NAM BLEND FOR LATE SAT/SUNDAY IN PACIFIC NW  
CONFIDENCE: ABOVE AVERAGE BUT BELOW AVERAGE FOR EXCEPTION  
 
A VERY QUIET LARGE SCALE PATTERN ACROSS THE CONUS IS INITIALLY  
DOMINATED BY A LARGE ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE AREA ACROSS THE PLAINS  
TODAY THAT IS PRESSING A LINGERING WARM CONVEYOR/FRONTAL ZONE  
ACROSS THE EAST COAST TODAY INTO EARLY TOMORROW (FRI). GUIDANCE  
AS BEEN QUITE AGREEABLE WITH BOTH THE EXITING SYSTEM AND THE HIGH  
AS IT DOMINATES THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CONUS THROUGH SUNDAY.  
 
THE ACTIVE AREA WILL BE THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, WHERE A FEW  
SHORTWAVES WILL CROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE SHORT-TERM FORECAST  
PERIOD. THE FIRST, CURRENTLY IMPACTING VANCOUVER ISLAND WILL  
PRESS THROUGH WASHINGTON INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES THROUGH TODAY  
AND TOMORROW. AS IT SLIDES EASTWARD, THE MAIN ENERGY AND QPF WILL  
REMAIN ALONG/JUST NORTH OF THE US/CANADIAN BOARDER WITH SOME  
INCREASE OF GREAT LAKES QPF BY SUNDAY. WHILE THERE IS SOME  
SPREAD, A GENERAL MODEL BLEND WILL SUFFICE GIVEN THE TIMING/SHAPE  
IS GOOD ACROSS THE CONUS. A WEAK SHORTWAVE WILL PROGRESS THROUGH  
BC INTO SATURDAY, CONTINUING TO DIRECT MOISTURE/ONSHORE JET ACROSS  
THE PACIFIC NW, AFFECTING MAINLY OROGRAPHIC QPF, BUT GENERAL  
DISTURBED WEATHER, WITH VERY LITTLE LARGE SCALE MODEL SPREAD TO  
GET TOO PICKY ABOUT.  
 
~~~ PACIFIC NORTHWEST DAY 3 ~~~  
HOWEVER, BY LATE SATURDAY, THE NEXT MORE AMPLIFIED SHORTWAVE WILL  
CROSS THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST GULF OF AK, DIRECTING TOWARD SOUTHERN  
BC/WA, WITH SIZABLE TIMING DIFFERENCES. UNCHARACTERISTICALLY, THE  
ECMWF, CMC ARE SLIGHTLY GREATER AMPLIFIED WITH THE LEADING EDGE OF  
HEIGHT-FALLS. THE 12Z NAM/GFS CONTINUE TO FAVOR SLIGHTLY STRONGER  
(INCREASING DIFFLUENCE) JET ENERGY APPROACHING THE WAVE AND  
AMPLIFYING IT LATER ON SUNDAY AND CLOSER TO THE COAST COMPARED TO  
THE ECMWF, WHICH IS ALREADY ASHORE. THE UKMET TYPICALLY A  
BELL-WEATHER ON WHICH DIRECTION TO FAVOR, IS IN BETWEEN BUT HAS A  
VERY STRONG UPPER LEVEL/FLAT JET TO NOT REALLY SIDE WITH EITHER  
CAMP. THE DIFFERENCE IN THE EVOLUTION/TIMING DOES NOT AFFORD A  
GENERAL MODEL BLEND/COMPROMISE IN THIS SCENARIO; AND TRADITIONAL  
KNOWN NEGATIVE BIASES ARE ALSO OPPOSITE (EXAMPLE: THE NAM IS TOO  
AMPLIFIED ON DAY 3, AND IT IS GENERALLY WEAKER OVERALL WITH THIS  
RUN). SO THERE IS VERY LOW CONFIDENCE IN THIS SYSTEM'S TIMING,  
BUT OVERALL EVOLUTION, UL JET ENHANCEMENT EVOLUTION AND LONGER  
TERM TRENDS SUGGEST THE GFS/NAM MAY HAVE A SLIGHTLY BETTER HANDLE  
ON THE SITUATION, WITH THE UKMET TIPPING SLIGHTLY TOWARD THIS CAMP  
OVER THE FASTER ECMWF/CMC PAIR.  
 
MODEL TRENDS AT WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/HTML/MODEL2.HTML  
500 MB FORECASTS AT WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/H5PREF/H5PREF.SHTML  
 
GALLINA  
 
 
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