Here is the HPC Model Diagnostic Discussion this morning. I suspect there is a lot of attention being given to the current forecasting challange of a possible Nor'easter for the weekend and just beyond. Let's see how things unfold as the day moves along. There will likely be many twists and turns as we move ahead toward Christmas. It is becoming clearer that there will be some mighty 'chilly air" heading S around and after Christmas IMHO.
MODEL DIAGNOSTIC DISCUSSION
NWS HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER CAMP SPRINGS MD
152 AM EST WED DEC 16 2009
VALID DEC 16/0000 UTC THRU DEC 19/1200 UTC
...SEE NOUS42 KWNO ADMNFD FOR THE STATUS OF THE UPPER AIR
INGEST...
00Z MODEL EVALUATION INCLUDING THE NEW ECMWF AND FINAL PREFERENCES
MODEL INITIALIZATION ERRORS DO NOT APPEAR TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT
IMPACT ON THE FORECAST.
...COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE NORTHWEST TODAY/TONIGHT...
THE NAM/GFS SHOW GOOD AGREEMENT WITH OTHER GUIDANCE WITH THE
TIMING/INTENSITY OF THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE...WITH THE FRONT
RETREATING NORTHWARD AS A WARM FRONT BY TNGT/THU AFTER PASSAGE OF
A SECONDARY SHORTWAVE TROUGH WHICH MODELS SHOW GOOD AGREEMENT WITH
AS WELL.
...SHORTWAVE TROUGH NEAR THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES...
GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT EXISTS ON THE RAPID PROGRESSION OF THIS LOW
AMPLITUDE SHORTWAVE TROUGH THROUGH THE REGION BY TONIGHT.
...COLD FRONT REACHING THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST THU NGT/FRI...
PREFERENCE: GFS OR ECMWF
THE NAM AVERAGES ABOUT 6 HRS SLOWER WITH THE ARRIVAL AND PASSAGE
OF THE FRONT COMPARED TO THE MAJORITY OF OTHER GUIDANCE...WHILE
THE NEW CANADIAN IS ABOUT 6-9 HRS FASTER THAN THE MEAN. GIVEN A
CLUSTERING NEAR THE DETERMINISTIC CONSENSUS...RECOMMEND A SOLUTION
CLOSEST TO THE GFS OR NEW ECMWF.
...LOW PRESSURE FORMING OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO/SOUTHEAST COAST
THU/FRI...
PREFERENCE: BEFORE 00Z FRI...EXCLUDE THE ECMWF
AFTER 00Z FRI...1/3 EACH GFS/CANADIAN/UKMET
THE NEW ECMWF HAS TRENDED SOUTH OF PRIOR ECMWF RUNS WITH INITIAL
LOW DEVELOPMENT IN THE WESTERN GULF BY 00Z FRI...BUT STILL APPEARS
TO FAR NORTH WITH RESPECTS TO THE SOLUTION ENVELOPE. THUS...ITS
SOLUTION THROUGH THIS TIME IS CONSIDERED A LOW PROBABILITY
SCENARIO. THE NEW ECMWF HAS ALSO TRENDED SOUTHWARD WITH THE LOW
OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST LATE IN THE PERIOD...BUT STILL LIES NEAR
THE NORTHWESTERN EDGE OF THE GUIDANCE ENVELOPE BY 12Z SAT.
UPSTREAM CONDITIONS...
PARTICULARLY THE EVOLUTION OF A SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER THE OHIO
VALLEY...WILL LARGELY DETERMINE THE EVOLUTION OF THE SOUTHEAST
LOW...AND WITH THE NEW ECMWF TRENDING MORE PROGRESSIVE AND TOWARD
THE GFS/CANADIAN/UKMET WITH A TROUGH OVER THE OHIO VALLEY LATE IN
THE PERIOD...BUT STILL PERHAPS TOO FAR NORTH...OUR PREFERENCE
CONTINUES TO CENTER AROUND A 3 MODEL BLEND INCLUDING THE
GFS/CANADIAN/UKMET...WHICH COINCIDENTALLY IS NEAR THE GEFS
MEAN...FOR BOTH THE SOUTHEAST LOW AND THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH
EVOLUTION OVER THE OHIO VALLEY LATE IN THE PERIOD.
...LOW PRESSURE RETROGRADING INTO THE CANADIAN MARITIMES FRI...
PREFERENCE: 1/3 EACH GFS/CANADIAN/UKMET
THE NEW ECMWF HAS TRENDED TOWARD GFS/CANADIAN/UKMET WITH A SURFACE
LOW RETROGRADING THROUGH THE CANADIAN MARITIMES BY 12Z SAT...WITH
THE NAM CONSIDERED A SLOW OR EAST OUTLIER. WHILE THE NEW ECMWF HAS
TRENDED TOWARD THE PREFERRED DIRECTION...ITS SOLUTION IS STILL
CONSIDERED TOO FAR EAST BY 12Z SAT TO BE INCLUDED IN THE
PREFERENCE. THIS PREFERENCE IS ALSO CONSISTENT WITH PREFERENCES
OVER THE OHIO VALLEY AND THE SOUTHEAST.
...MODEL TREND GRAPHICS AT
http://WWW.HPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/HTML/MODEL2.SHTML...
...500MB FORECASTS AT
http://WWW.HPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/H5PREF/H5PREF.SHTML...
JAMES