I made a post focusing on number 2, which I believe to be the biggest difference on the 12z run compared to the previous few, where the resulting surface low was weak and easily damped as it moved further NE into the upper confluence zone on the back side of the 50-50 vortex. A bit more spacing there helps, but we need a deep surface low to make this work. The 50-50 feature has been there, and has looked impressively strong. Yes it will vary somewhat from run to run.