Agreed. Standard caveat is that folks should always have low expectations going into this and be happy with what we get. To see this in a La Nina pattern is pretty amazing.
12z EPS sets up decent western ridge and maintains the stout -NAO. Cross polar flow tries to show up around Jan 16th. This is a signal that has existed for the past 24 hours:
EPS sets up cross polar flow and a western ridge towards the end of the run. To have it show up on the ensembles and not some rogue OP run is important and boost confidence in this solution:
I'm not expecting consistent double digit snowfalls, but this should at least get almost everyone to climo if the pattern holds. Hell, after the past two winters climo will feel great.
It's a damn shame we can rid ourselves of this low in the Gulf of Alaska. Without it, that Aleutian Low would be pumping one hell of a west coast ridge for us.
Key difference with Euro weeklies now is that it's NW flow across all of Canada which rapidly builds snow cover and solidifies a cP airmass for us. If this holds, it significantly increases the likelihood of below normal temps and at least embedded clippers.