012  
FXUS10 KWNH 141837  
PMDHMD  
 
MODEL DIAGNOSTIC DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
236 PM EDT THU MAY 14 2020  
 
VALID MAY 14/1200 UTC THRU MAY 18/0000 UTC  
 
...SEE NOUS42 KWNO (ADMSDM) FOR THE STATUS OF THE UPPER AIR  
INGEST...  
 
12Z MODEL EVALUATION INCLUDING PREFERENCES AND CONFIDENCE  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
 
...CLOSED LOW OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND UPPER GREAT LAKES  
TONIGHT...CROSSING NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND FRI...  
...SURFACE LOW MOVING FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS TONIGHT INTO  
NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND FRI...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
PREFERENCE: NON-12Z NAM BLEND  
CONFIDENCE: SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE  
 
THE 12Z NAM/GFS ARE CLOSE TO THE CONSENSUS WITH THE SHORT WAVE  
ENERGY TRACKING FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER OF ND ACROSS THE  
UPPER GREAT LAKES TODAY INTO EARLY TONIGHT. AFTER THAT TIME, THE  
12Z NAM BECOMES FASTER AND DEEPER WITH THE SHORT WAVE CROSSING ME  
AND NOVA SCOTIA FRI. IN RESPONSE TO THE SHORT WAVE, THE 12Z NAM  
ALSO APPEARS TO BE TOO DEEP/TOO FAR NORTH WITH THE SURFACE LOW  
CROSSING NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND FRI. THE 12Z GFS IS CLOSER TO THE  
CONSENSUS THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD WITH THE SHORT WAVE, BUT MAY BE A  
TAD SLOW WITH THE SURFACE LOW CROSSING ME (AS IT HAS BEEN FOR THE  
PAST FEW MODEL CYCLES).  
 
AT THIS POINT, WITH FAIRLY GOOD CLUSTERING (OUTSIDE OF THE NAM), A  
NON-12Z NAM WAS THE PREFERRED BLENDED WITH INCREASING FORECAST  
CONFIDENCE.  
 
   
...CLOSED MID LEVEL LOW OFF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TODAY  
MOVING  
TO THE NORTHERN PLAINS SAT AND  
THE UPPER GREAT LAKES SUN...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
PREFERENCE: 12Z NAM/12Z ECMWF/12Z UKMET BLEND  
CONFIDENCE: SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE  
 
THE 12Z NAM/GFS ARE CLOSE TO THE CONSENSUS TAKING THE CLOSED MID  
LEVEL LOW FROM JUST OFF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST THIS AFTERNOON  
ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS SAT. AFTER THAT TIME, THE 12Z GFS SLOWS  
WITH THE MID LEVEL SYSTEM, AND DROPS IT SOUTHWEST OF THE CONSENSUS  
(IN A POSITION NEARLY IDENTICAL TO THE 12Z CMC) BY 18/00Z. AS A  
RESULT OF THE MID LEVEL SYSTEM SLOWING, THE 12Z GFS LOOKS A BIT  
SLOW WITH THE SURFACE LOW POSITION BY THAT TIME.  
 
IN CONTRAST, THE 12Z NAM REMAINS CLOSE TO THE LOOSE CONSENSUS  
(WHICH INCLUDES THE 12Z ECMWF/00Z ECMWF MEAN/12Z GEFS MEAN) TAKING  
THE CLOSED MID LEVEL LOW OVER WI/MI BY THE END OF THE PERIOD.  
FORTUNATELY, THE 12Z ECMWF HAS COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE  
SURFACE LOW AND ASSOCIATED FRONT. AT THIS POINT, THE PREFERRED  
BLEND IS THE 12Z NAM/12Z ECMWF (WITH ENSEMBLE SUPPORT), THOUGH THE  
12Z GFS SOLUTION IS NOT UNUSABLE, ESPECIALLY WITH THE SURFACE  
SYSTEMS. DUE TO THE SPREAD NOT ONLY AT THE SURFACE BUT IN THE MID  
LEVELS, FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE.  
 
...DEVELOPING LONG WAVE TROUGH MOVING FROM NORTHERN MEXICO INTO  
CENTRAL TX SAT...THEN INTO  
THE LOWER MS VALLEY SUN...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
PREFERENCE: NON-12Z NAM BLEND  
CONFIDENCE: AVERAGE  
 
BOTH THE 12Z NAM/GFS ARE CLOSE TO THE CONSENSUS TAKING A  
DEVELOPING LONG WAVE TROUGH OUT OF NORTHERN MEXICO TONIGHT AND FRI  
INTO CENTRAL TX SAT. FROM THIS POINT, THE 12Z NAM SLOWS WITH A  
CLOSING MID LEVEL LOW HANGING BACK OVER EAST TX SUN. THE 12Z GFS  
IS CLOSER TO THE REMAINDER OF THE GUIDANCE TAKING THE LONG WAVE  
TROUGH ACROSS THE LOWER MS VALLEY LATE SAT INTO SUN. THE 12Z UKMET  
SPED UP ITS SOLUTION WITH THE LONG WAVE TROUGH, LEAVING ONLY THE  
12Z NAM ON THE SLOW SIDE OF THE GUIDANCE ENVELOPE. WITH NO OBVIOUS  
MECHANISM FOR CLOSING THE MID LEVEL SYSTEM OFF OVER EAST TX, AT  
THIS POINT THE 12Z NAM LOOKS TOO SLOW WITH ITS DEPICTION OF THE  
MID LEVEL SYSTEM.  
 
OVERALL, A NON-12Z NAM BLEND IS PREFERRED WITH THIS SYSTEM. GIVEN  
THE SPREAD STILL IN PLACE WITH THIS SYSTEM (AS WELL AS THE OVERALL  
TREND OF SLOWING THE LONG WAVE TROUGH), FORECAST CONFIDENCE HAS  
INCREASED TO AVERAGE.  
 
   
..LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING NEAR THE BAHAMAS FRI NIGHT INTO SAT  
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
PREFERENCE: 12Z GFS/12Z ECMWF/00Z ECMWF MEAN BLEND  
CONFIDENCE: SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE  
 
THE 12Z NAM/GFS ARE CLOSE WITH THE DEVELOPING SURFACE LOW AS IT  
TRACKS FROM SOUTHEAST FL FRI/FRI NIGHT TO A POSITION NORTH OF THE  
BAHAMAS BY 18/00Z. BY THAT TIME, THE 12Z NAM BIT FURTHER EAST THAT  
THE 12Z GFS/12Z ECMWF/00Z ECMWF ENSEMBLE MEAN, WHILE THE 12Z CMC  
REMAINS FURTHER WEST OF THAT POSITION. ONLY THE 12Z UKMET SEEMS TO  
BE TOO FAR FROM THE CONSENSUS, TAKING THIS SYSTEM MUCH FURTHER  
EAST (AS HAS BEEN ITS TREND THE PAST THREE CYCLES).  
 
HOWEVER, BASED ON CONSISTENCY OF THE GFS/ECMWF/ECMWF ENSEMBLE MEAN  
OVER THE PAST THREE MODEL CYCLES, THE 12Z GFS/12Z ECMWF/00Z ECMWF  
MEAN COMPRISE THE PREFERRED BLEND. WITH ONLY THE 12Z UKMET  
STRAYING FROM THE TIGHTENING MODEL CLUSTER WITH THIS SYSTEM,  
FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE.  
 
...LARGE CLOSED MID LEVEL LOW DRIFTING TOWARD THE PACIFIC  
NORTHWEST SAT/SUN...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
PREFERENCE: GENERAL MODEL BLEND  
CONFIDENCE: ABOVE AVERAGE  
 
THERE IS GENERALLY GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT TAKING A CLOSED MID LEVEL  
LOW FROM 48N 161W THIS AFTERNOON AND TRACKING IT TO A POSITION OF  
THE SOUTHERN  
OR/NORTHERN CA COAST BY 18/00Z. GIVEN THE IMPRESSIVE MODEL  
CLUSTERING, A GENERAL MODEL BLEND IS PREFERRED WITH ABOVE AVERAGE  
FORECAST CONFIDENCE.  
 
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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