Interestingly, many extremely active/hyperactive years were quiet in the MDR in the first two-thirds of Aug - 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2017 and 2020. As others have noted, often the turn from inactive to active in the MDR is rather sudden.

— Yaakov Cantor (@yconsor) July 27, 2021