Brett Roberts
EF5
There's no doubt whatsoever this year has been the best Alley-wide since 2004. But let's not forget about the slow start, especially for those of us near and S of I-40 who like to see a few decent/chaseable setups in March and April during good years. I was going insane by the time April 22 finally arrived, given that March and the first 2/3 of April were absolutely dead, even in TX. Granted, those of you farther N who don't expect anything nearby until mid-spring probably don't see this as much of a factor.
I'm not complaining at all. This was an outstanding season and mid May onward more than made up for the slow start, to put it mildly. But I think for the southern contingent here, comparing this March-May 10 to a year like 2007 holds 2010 back from being the ultimate dream season. I'm not sure there's ever been a season that started like 2007 and ended like 2010 in the history of chasing, though. And personally, I'll take a stellar May 10-June 20 over the rest of the year any day.
As for 2004 vs. 2010 head-on, very tough call. I wasn't out here until 2006, so 2004 holds this mythical status in my mind, probably skewing my viewpoint. The number of "dry" tornadoes offering clean views from just about any position in 2004 seems hard to match... Attica, Beaver City 5/22, N KS 5/24, Harper Co. 5/29, NW IA 6/11, and Mulvane just off the top of my head. Campo this year probably tops them all, of course. One thing I'll never get over is the May 10 setup, and how it shifted from the Panhandles to I-35 in the 48 hours leading up to the event. Had the dryline set up even 50 mi. W of where it did, I think a lot of us would have played along or S of I-40 and caught the incredible Norman or Ardmore tornadoes in chaseable terrain. That alone might've tipped my vote.
Shane raises a pretty good point, too. An apples-to-apples comparison against seasons from decades past is not really possible. A lot of the storms that made this year so memorable were isolated and difficult-to-forecast events far removed from the core KS/OK/TX crowd, and might well have gone unnoticed back in 1980 or maybe even 2000.
I'm not complaining at all. This was an outstanding season and mid May onward more than made up for the slow start, to put it mildly. But I think for the southern contingent here, comparing this March-May 10 to a year like 2007 holds 2010 back from being the ultimate dream season. I'm not sure there's ever been a season that started like 2007 and ended like 2010 in the history of chasing, though. And personally, I'll take a stellar May 10-June 20 over the rest of the year any day.
As for 2004 vs. 2010 head-on, very tough call. I wasn't out here until 2006, so 2004 holds this mythical status in my mind, probably skewing my viewpoint. The number of "dry" tornadoes offering clean views from just about any position in 2004 seems hard to match... Attica, Beaver City 5/22, N KS 5/24, Harper Co. 5/29, NW IA 6/11, and Mulvane just off the top of my head. Campo this year probably tops them all, of course. One thing I'll never get over is the May 10 setup, and how it shifted from the Panhandles to I-35 in the 48 hours leading up to the event. Had the dryline set up even 50 mi. W of where it did, I think a lot of us would have played along or S of I-40 and caught the incredible Norman or Ardmore tornadoes in chaseable terrain. That alone might've tipped my vote.
Shane raises a pretty good point, too. An apples-to-apples comparison against seasons from decades past is not really possible. A lot of the storms that made this year so memorable were isolated and difficult-to-forecast events far removed from the core KS/OK/TX crowd, and might well have gone unnoticed back in 1980 or maybe even 2000.
