00z EPS for comparison. To me, these looks suggest risks of some arctic shots. With a ridge position like that. Plus the vortex biased towards the eastern half of Canada. Maybe some kind of split flow look? Don't just look at the colors. Check out the height lines as well. It looks as though there would be cold air dumping east of the rockies with these looks. This is different than December in that the ridge is much closer to the west coast instead of further west by the Aleutians.