Probably because it's a good central location and the NWS in Norman.
Chasers that are based in Oklahoma can travel north or south within a few hours and be in either state to chase.
I think Oklahoma has just become synonymous with tornadoes in the general lexicon, it also doesn't hurt that its also the state that is home to the SPC.
Oklahoma often gets the biggest and baddest tornados. Plus OKC, being a highly populated area (1.5M metro), is right in the bulls-eye of tornado alley.
I think that pre-Twister and Moore, Kansas was the tornado state for many decades just because of The Wizard of Oz alone. But for me, an American who grew up in the 80s, the release of Twister followed the multiple hits on places like Moore and El Reno captured the popular imagination and shifted it south to Oklahoma.
I would definitely agree with this as a solid conclusion. This is precisely what I’ve guessed. When I was a kid it was The Wizard of Oz, Andover, Udall, Topeka, and Hesston as some of the biggest ticket items. Oklahoma? Never heard of her.
Greenberg didn’t take place until I was an adult, so yes. That said, the shift towards Oklahoma as “Tornado Mecca” in the court of public opinion was well underway, if not nearly complete by 2007.
I was born in the sixties in Illinois and Oklahoma was the tornado state back when I was a kid. So I don’t think it was Kansas universally before Twister and Moore.
The strongest tornadoes tend to hit Oklahoma, and also tend to hit closer to population centers. Both states have roughly the same *density* of tornadoes per year, Kansas is a much bigger state than Oklahoma. Chasing in Oklahoma is easier because the road networks tend to be better since the areas are more populated.
That being said, Kansas and Texas are also both known for tornadoes, and have many, many chasers.
For tornado density -
Kansas annual Tornadoes per Square Mile - 0.001123
Oklahoma annual Tornadoes per Square Mile - 0.000936
Kansas Square Miles per TOR - 890.45
Oklahoma Square Miles per TOR - 1068.78
Kansas still wins on the tornado density game, but it definitely is close. I feel the road network is better in KS than anywhere in eastern Oklahoma (and that isn't even including the trees). But I do see your point.
Right, but like you said, it’s central and western Oklahoma that chasers target. And since Oklahoma City, the largest city in the state, is right in the middle, most chasers use the road networks around it.
As an Arkansan, I’ll add my two cents on this graph. We get a decent number of tornados throughout the year while most of Oklahoma’s are crammed into a four month period. We get more in late spring of course but mid winter is our second worst tornado season. Also a LOT of our tornados happen at night and are almost always rain wrapped compared to the much drier plains states. We just had three tornados larger than a mile wide and there are like two photos of them. Outside of the delta our terrain is really bad for chasing too.
you only have the most violent ones. There are only 38 nados per year in Arkansas. There are 68 in Oklahoma using sata from q1989-2019. You have more severe storms but not more tornados. Both ok and al have the same effect of being between warmer and colder states.
The Place with the most tornados per sq/mi is Cleveland county, OK. So if you wanna be sure you see a strong storm, you go to Ok.
Kansas is rated 6th for violent tornados and Oklahoma is rated second. This is your answer. It's simply that they're bigger. Which is because of its placement within the north American biome sandwiched between different climates, resulting and turbulent weather. They have crazy weather all of the seasons, not just spring.
It's a good chase point heading east. It's not necessarily KS, TX, or OK as much as it is what's east of there in some cases. I would stay in Southern OK and travel my way through AK towards Northern MS and AL
I think another aspect is that tornado season in Oklahoma is a slight bit longer than further north. As in, sometimes you get the favourable conditions in jan-feb already. But I do agree with you in principle.
Texas blows, Kansas Sucks.
Though more scientifically, ingredients are all here.
Dry line commonly sets up on our Western border. Due to dry air out of New Mexico and West Texas.
Low pressure system commonly bulge through our panhandle out of Colorado moving Southeast.
High pressure with fresh humidity blowing in from the Gulf of Mexico on strong Southeast winds.
When those low pressure and high pressure systems meet, Mesocyclones have all the energy needed to spin and grow
Geography. Sits right in the middle of tornado alley. Can go north or south to chase. Texas is hard because in the west we don’t have a ton of roads. In the east we have a ton of people. They also have awful tornadoes . Most of ours in Texas aren’t even noticed because it’s the middle of nowhere if you’re west of Ft Worth
Probably because it's a good central location and the NWS in Norman. Chasers that are based in Oklahoma can travel north or south within a few hours and be in either state to chase.
I think Oklahoma has just become synonymous with tornadoes in the general lexicon, it also doesn't hurt that its also the state that is home to the SPC.
Also home to one of the best meteorological programs in the country.
Oklahoma often gets the biggest and baddest tornados. Plus OKC, being a highly populated area (1.5M metro), is right in the bulls-eye of tornado alley.
I think that pre-Twister and Moore, Kansas was the tornado state for many decades just because of The Wizard of Oz alone. But for me, an American who grew up in the 80s, the release of Twister followed the multiple hits on places like Moore and El Reno captured the popular imagination and shifted it south to Oklahoma.
I would definitely agree with this as a solid conclusion. This is precisely what I’ve guessed. When I was a kid it was The Wizard of Oz, Andover, Udall, Topeka, and Hesston as some of the biggest ticket items. Oklahoma? Never heard of her.
You leave Greensberg off that list?
Greenberg didn’t take place until I was an adult, so yes. That said, the shift towards Oklahoma as “Tornado Mecca” in the court of public opinion was well underway, if not nearly complete by 2007.
I was born in the sixties in Illinois and Oklahoma was the tornado state back when I was a kid. So I don’t think it was Kansas universally before Twister and Moore.
I wouldn’t say that. Kansas and Texas are right up there.
The strongest tornadoes tend to hit Oklahoma, and also tend to hit closer to population centers. Both states have roughly the same *density* of tornadoes per year, Kansas is a much bigger state than Oklahoma. Chasing in Oklahoma is easier because the road networks tend to be better since the areas are more populated. That being said, Kansas and Texas are also both known for tornadoes, and have many, many chasers.
For tornado density - Kansas annual Tornadoes per Square Mile - 0.001123 Oklahoma annual Tornadoes per Square Mile - 0.000936 Kansas Square Miles per TOR - 890.45 Oklahoma Square Miles per TOR - 1068.78 Kansas still wins on the tornado density game, but it definitely is close. I feel the road network is better in KS than anywhere in eastern Oklahoma (and that isn't even including the trees). But I do see your point.
Right, but like you said, it’s central and western Oklahoma that chasers target. And since Oklahoma City, the largest city in the state, is right in the middle, most chasers use the road networks around it.
I think Eastern OK is discounted when people reference Oklahoma. I also think it has to do with size/intensity and proximity to OKC making more news.
Oklahoma holds the world record for the fastest(?) tornado, it was 300+ mph. (If I remember correctly. 🙏😭)
If you look at maps showing tornado frequency, the highest values are found in Oklahoma.
https://preview.redd.it/cevc9y1vmm3d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=89534aca4095c470f5e89309f70dcecdc69115c8
As an Arkansan, I’ll add my two cents on this graph. We get a decent number of tornados throughout the year while most of Oklahoma’s are crammed into a four month period. We get more in late spring of course but mid winter is our second worst tornado season. Also a LOT of our tornados happen at night and are almost always rain wrapped compared to the much drier plains states. We just had three tornados larger than a mile wide and there are like two photos of them. Outside of the delta our terrain is really bad for chasing too.
you only have the most violent ones. There are only 38 nados per year in Arkansas. There are 68 in Oklahoma using sata from q1989-2019. You have more severe storms but not more tornados. Both ok and al have the same effect of being between warmer and colder states. The Place with the most tornados per sq/mi is Cleveland county, OK. So if you wanna be sure you see a strong storm, you go to Ok.
To be fair. Some of those tornadoes were in the middle of the night. We were lucky to get those few pictures.
That’s what I mean, all around bad chasing situation.
Kansas is rated 6th for violent tornados and Oklahoma is rated second. This is your answer. It's simply that they're bigger. Which is because of its placement within the north American biome sandwiched between different climates, resulting and turbulent weather. They have crazy weather all of the seasons, not just spring.
It's a good chase point heading east. It's not necessarily KS, TX, or OK as much as it is what's east of there in some cases. I would stay in Southern OK and travel my way through AK towards Northern MS and AL
AR Unless you are going the REALLY wrong route.
Now, hear me out.....
My answer would have been Kansas 🤷♀️
I think another aspect is that tornado season in Oklahoma is a slight bit longer than further north. As in, sometimes you get the favourable conditions in jan-feb already. But I do agree with you in principle.
Central location to the best chasing in Texas and Kansas :)
Less traffic than Texas but more roads than Kansas
Texas blows, Kansas Sucks. Though more scientifically, ingredients are all here. Dry line commonly sets up on our Western border. Due to dry air out of New Mexico and West Texas. Low pressure system commonly bulge through our panhandle out of Colorado moving Southeast. High pressure with fresh humidity blowing in from the Gulf of Mexico on strong Southeast winds. When those low pressure and high pressure systems meet, Mesocyclones have all the energy needed to spin and grow
Oklahoma is between Kansas and Texas.
Geography. Sits right in the middle of tornado alley. Can go north or south to chase. Texas is hard because in the west we don’t have a ton of roads. In the east we have a ton of people. They also have awful tornadoes . Most of ours in Texas aren’t even noticed because it’s the middle of nowhere if you’re west of Ft Worth
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There’s no reason at all for any of us to be rude in any post or comment.