Curious about how active May has been thus far?

Including today, there have been 13 days of active severe weather in the Plains since the beginning of the month. Due to an assortment of reasons, I've only chased 4 of those days: May 1, 3, 4, and 8. Of course, many of the biggest days have taken place in Missouri and Illinois, in bad chase territory. Yesterday's event was actually the first big day for the Texas Panhandle since the month began, and with the exception of May 8 and 9, things haven't been all that exciting in Oklahoma, either.

When I decided to devote the whole month to chasing, I did so with the idea it would be an average month. I never expected two weeks worth of severe weather days with so many tornado-producing storms. I didn't expect Missouri to become the new heart of Tornado Alley.

And it's for that reason I don't feel all that bad having not chased those days. Had some of those events taken place in the middle of a typical May some other year, I still would have likely ignored them. My fascination for storms outstrips my fascination for chasing, so the idea of racing after a huge HP wedge-producing supercell moving 40 mph through the hills and trees of central Missouri doesn't really appeal to me. Unless you get lucky and end up in the right place at the right time (as some chasers did on those days), that sort of chase is very frustrating and un-fulfilling.

But now, the two weeks of the month that usually offer the best chasing are upon us. Will I make up for lost time? Sort of. A mixture of allergies and general exhaustion has kept me from looking forward to hitting the road for extended periods, and I will admit that the past two weeks have left me a little tired of storms, even if I didn't chase much (even when you're not chasing out in the field, it's hard not to chase from your desk). Right now, however, I'm planning to jump back into things with the next cluster of good setups. If anything, I need to see all my chase buddies while they're on vacation.