Heck it used to be once per day back in the early WWBB days. We had to rely on coarse H5, slp, and H85 temp maps at 24hr intervals once per day. And good luck ever seeing QPF. A few lucky mets would have it and would describe it to us, but for awhile there it seemed like a mythical creature.
So we'd declare the euro the unanimous winner when it showed the low pressure center inside the BM at 72hr and 850s below 0C while the AVN/MRF and NOGAPS would be a flat wave heading for Bermuda. The extra resolution the Euro had back then really gave it a big advantage over the American suite with its ability to track the s/w's and actually phase them when warranted.
Times have changed though and so have the standards. My problem with flip floppy models is you don't know what's more right or wrong. At least a model making toddler steps toward the consensus may have some value....like Will's Boxing Day 2010 example.
So the models are definitely better overall than they used to be, but with the higher resolution and advanced parameterization it's easier to get some burp/hiccup runs as well that leave you scratching your head wondering what to believe.