I couldn't find climatology for thickness records, but 500mb heights I did find, and that would have been near historic. The lowest heights I found for Melbourne was 544dm and 550dm for Miami. This was 547 and 550 exactly.
Long range storms at least signify potential. When you are consistently showing nothing, the signal is for a pattern to produce nothing. It isn't just the GFS either, but the GEFS/EPS also are coming up with nothing through their runs.
What is your take on the Euro and its ensembles being notoriously dry with cold season precip in the cold sector of systems. Been noticing that since the upgrade before last winter.
The concern I have with that mean is that it might be too far east for most here with the trough axis. I guess we will see but I don't want to jump into a nor'Easter bonanza while we shut down.