I see what you are saying with all the red, but I don't focus so much on the magnitude of the h5 anomalies on these seasonal/climate models. They simply aren't realistic for anything more than the general idea. Zoom out. Big picture.
On the Euro Gif above, Dec and Jan have a SE/WAR very close by. Mean trough in the west. Feb looks better, but not great. Remember the discussion you and I had last winter about how the pattern was close and seemed like it would evolve but the trough kept reloading too far west and SE ridge would only get knocked back temporarily then reemerge? This has that sort of look, which is characteristic of a pattern influenced by the TNH. See the image below. Anyway that's what stuck out to me looking at that Gif. I will have to go back and review it, but I think that ties in with ENSO and possibly the strong Pac jet of late. Not to say that is a bad look, but we would be playing with fire and would favor areas further north/inland. Thats pretty much how it turned out last winter.