075  
FXUS10 KWNH 251652  
PMDHMD  
 
MODEL DIAGNOSTIC DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
1245 PM EDT WED MAR 25 2020  
 
VALID MAR 25/1200 UTC THRU MAR 29/0000 UTC  
 
...SEE NOUS42 KWNO (ADMNFD) FOR THE STATUS OF THE UPPER AIR  
INGEST...  
 
12Z NAM/GFS MODEL EVALUATION WITH INITIAL PREFERENCES AND  
CONFIDENCE  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
 
   
..EAST COAST SURFACE LOW TONIGHT
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
PREFERENCE: GENERAL MODEL BLEND  
CONFIDENCE: ABOVE AVERAGE  
 
BOTH THE 12Z NAM/GFS ARE CLOSE TO THE MODEL CONSENSUS WITH THE  
SURFACE LOW DEVELOPING ALONG THE MID ATLANTIC THIS AFTERNOON.  
EVENTUALLY, THE 12Z NAM BECOME A BIT DEEPER AND SLOWER WITH THE  
SURFACE LOW, AS IT REPRESENTS THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE SOLUTION  
ENVELOPE. GIVEN THE TIGHT CLUSTERING WITH THIS SYSTEM, A GENERAL  
MODEL BLEND IS PREFERRED, WITH ABOVE AVERAGE CONFIDENCE.  
   
..SURFACE LOW CROSSING THE MID ATLANTIC STATES THU NIGHT/FRI
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
PREFERENCE: GENERAL MODEL BLEND  
CONFIDENCE: SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE  
 
THE 12Z NAM/GFS ARE CLOSE TO THE CONSENSUS WITH THE SURFACE WAVE  
THAT DEVELOPS ON THE FRONT OVER THE OH VALLEY THU NIGHT. AS THE  
WAVE REACHES THE NORTHERN MID ATLANTIC COAST, IT BEGINS TO DEEPEN,  
AND THERE IS SOME SPREAD ON HOW QUICKLY THIS MIGHT OCCUR. WITH  
LITTLE IN THE WAY OF MID LEVEL SUPPORT, THE DIFFERENCES IN  
DEVELOPMENT  
TIMING/PLACEMENT MAY BE DUE TO DIABATIC HEATING EFFECTS FROM THE  
GULF STREAM. ONCE THE SURFACE WAVE REACHES THE GULF STREAM, THERE  
IS GENERALLY GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT WITH THE STRENGTH AND TRACK OF  
THE LOW. A GENERAL MODEL BLEND IS PREFERRED WITH THIS SYSTEM,  
THOUGH THE TIMING DIFFERENCES CONCERNING WHEN THE WAVE STARTS TO  
DEEPEN RESULT IN ONLY SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE FORECAST CONFIDENCE.  
 
...LONG WAVE TROUGH TRACKING FROM THE WEST COAST TO THE CENTRAL  
PLAINS...  
...SURFACE LOW MOVING FROM EASTERN CO INTO THE MID/UPPER MS  
VALLEY...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
PREFERENCE: 12Z GFS/00Z ECMWF/UKMET BLEND  
CONFIDENCE: SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE  
 
WHILE THE 12Z NAM/GFS REMAIN CLOSE TO THE CONSENSUS WITH THE TRACK  
AND TIMING WITH THE POSITIVELY TILTED LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER CA  
THIS AFTERNOON, THE 12Z NAM SEEMS TO DEVELOP THE SURFACE LOW TOO  
FAR SOUTH (AS DOES THE 00Z CMC), AT LEAST WHEN COMPARED WITH THE  
CONSENSUS, AND ENDS UP SOUTHEAST OF THAT CONSENSUS. THE 12Z GFS  
REMAINS CLOSE TO THE CONSENSUS (AS WELL AS 06Z GEFS AND THE 00Z  
ECMWF ENSEMBLE MEAN) WITH THE SURFACE LOW, AND CLUSTERS WELL WITH  
THE 00Z ECMWF. THE 00Z UKMET HAS SLOWED ITS FORWARD MOVEMENT AND  
IS CLOSE TO THE GFS/ECMWF SOLUTIONS.  
 
BASED ON THE ABOVE, A 12Z GFS/00Z ECMWF/UKMET BLEND IS PREFERRED.  
SINCE ONLY THE 12Z NAM/00Z CMC ARE NOT CLOSE WITH THE POSITION OF  
THE SURFACE LOW LATE, FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS SLIGHTLY ABOVE  
AVERAGE.  
 
SHORTWAVE AND SURFACE COLD FRONT APPROACHING PACIFIC NORTHWEST SAT  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
PREFERENCE: 12Z GFS/00Z ECMWF BLEMD  
CONFIDENCE: AVERAGE  
 
THERE IS A FAIR AMOUNT OF SPREAD WITH THE SYSTEM AS IT TRACKS FROM  
SOUTH OF THE GULF OF AK TOWARD THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TOWARD THE  
END OF THE PERIOD. THE 12Z NAM SEEMS TO BE TOO FAST, AND HAS BEEN  
ACCELERATING WITH THIS SOLUTION. THE 12Z GFS HAS SLOWED ITS  
PROGRESS, THOUGH IT IS NOT AS SLOW AS THE 00Z ECMWF. NOT  
SURPRISINGLY, THE ENSEMBLE MEANS SUPPORT THEIR PARENT MODELS,  
SUGGESTING THAT THERE IS STILL SOME WAY TO GO BEFORE THE MODEL  
DIFFERENCES CAN BE RECTIFIED. BASED ON THIS, A BLEND OF THE 12Z  
GFS/00Z ECMWF IS PREFERRED, BUT GIVEN THE SPREAD, FORECAST  
CONFIDENCE IS AVERAGE AT BEST.  
 
HAYES  
 
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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