500mb looks good on the GEFS so I'm fine with it
but yeah, that look on the GEPS would give us the 17th as well as a chance for a big dog when the block decays. that evolution fits the bill
overall, though, I do think it's a conducive pattern. strong AK ridging, Arctic airmass, decaying west based -NAO, and TPV in SE Canada. it has a lot going for it, definitely higher end potential
the TPV is in southeast Canada and is pinned under a block. would be really tough to get a cutter in this pattern. nothing is impossible, but this pattern favors sliders over cutters for sure
using the 10th as a cutter to say that the pattern isn't great is disingenuous. that's been a cutter for like two weeks. the 13th does not look good at this latitude and hasn't for a while. the risk for anything larger is from the 15th to the 23rd or so, and the pattern still looks good for something
using ensemble snow means is not the best way to go about analyzing if a pattern is favorable or not
it's not certain that it won't cut... cutting during that timeframe around the 17th just isn't the favored outcome. suppression seems more likely than a cutter given that pattern
yeah, it’s once the block decays. Arctic airmass in place, decaying WB -NAO, AK ridge, TPV moving towards the 50/50 region, and PNA building. all the pieces are there