If there’s some sort of general meeting in the middle between the Euro/GGEM and gfs solutions, there’s a variety of ways we could get *some* frozen precip. Whether that’s on the front end or with the arctic front at the end or both.
We basically want that whole area of low 500mb heights to get pulled like taffy, with one big clump moving toward Ontario and the other pinwheeling around it down the Rockies and into the Plains. 0z Euro did that some, although not to the degree the 12z GFS did. 12z euro seems to be stubbornly staying as one big wad.
Anytime a model spits out something unprecedented, you should take it with a heaping dose of salt. However, we do have near record -AO, -EPO, and -NAO…
The lead shortwave that goes through the Lakes is pretty key obviously. Want that strong, separated, and moving east to get trapped under the Baffin NAO ridge.