Overrated chase areas

[Dan Robinson]

Bumping this thread with an update. Barring an unlikely December outbreak, 2018 will be the first year since moving here in 2010 that I'll record a zero on the Midwest tornado board (IL/MO/IN/IA). The STL area has gone three and a half years without a daytime photogenic tornado within 2 hours' drive (aside from a couple of mesoscale accident landspouts that are practically unforecastable). Our last one was June 28, 2015.

The Plains can have down years, but is highly unlikely to see a drought as long this.

 

[tmesias]

I nominate most of Oklahoma during the spring as overrated... not because of the quality of terrain or tornadoes... but rather the crowds... an isolated tube in the hills of New Mexico or deep in North Dakota along the Canadian border seems to be much more enjoyable these days.

 

[Warren Faidley]

I think it's impossible to say any location is "overrated." One good day like Campo makes up for many years of chasing busts in the western portions of the Alley.

A lot depends on a chaser's priority, budget, storm type preferences and the landscapes / road networks they prefer.

Chasing has changed over the years in multiple ways. Once favorable areas have become over crowded and climatology has altered targets, e.g., Midland and Lubbock regions suck lately. The areas of western Texas, west of 1-27 to the NM border down to Midland is likely the best chase region in the world, given the endless visibility and perfect road network. Hopefully, storms will return someday.

I'm more of a long shot chaser now days, opting for more photogenic "treasures" than tornado counts, or big, High Poop (HP) storm modes where visibility is a joke. I've seen enough HP, rain-wrapped tornadoes and they bore me. Thankfully, advancements in forecasting tools has made it easier to discriminate such days. Years ago, when images and footage were selling for hundreds and thousands of dollars, no area or storm mode was overrated as long as there was a slight risk.

Only 4 months until storm season 2019!

 

[James Gustina]

These are always personal opinions due to shifts in fortune, but the Llano Estacado/Caprock has to be it for me over the past decade just due to a shift in activity on top of an absolutely horrendous road network/terrain when you start getting off the Llano. It's still my favorite region to chase in by a mile, but the absolute paucity of river crossings and the canyonlands along the Caprock really make it a frustratingly difficult area sometimes. That said, when things come together it also offers what I'd argue is the most scenic backdrop possible for a tornado. Just echoing Warren, I really hope West Texas/East NM start seeing consistent good setups again in the near future just so I have an excuse to get back there.

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