Does anyone have the corresponding maps from the Euro and Ukie? I'm blocked by the paywall.
I think the jet buckling like a whip is the key to the weenie run being closer to reality. It has to do with the evolution of the speed max diving down the Pacific Coast. If that speed max slows down the eastward progress of the longwave trough, there will be enough northward rebound behind the departing OV system to produce a deeper more north tracking low. The longwave trough effectively splits in two, and the low can ride up in between. The problem is if that streak doesn't dig down enough to hold back the western end of trough, the whole thing will just slide east, leading to weaker more positively tilted system that gives the OV more snow but misses IL/MI.