Lightning & Bow

Check out this double lighting strike from this line of storms. This particular storm was located just south of Pierre, thanks to Zach in Pierre for this great picture. You can see a couple of the lightning streamers that didn't make it to the ground but were in search of the fastest way to connect with something of the opposite charge.

Here's that bow that's pushing through central South Dakota right now along a cold front. Expect this line to bring hail and heavy downpours in areas where strong thunderstorms embedded in this line are occurring. We'll also see some strong winds move along and behind this front. Overnight we'll see this line fill in even more, possibly changing into a Mesoscale Convective System or MCS.

Here's a quick definition of an MCS from the NWS:
Mesoscale Convective System. Mesoscale Convective System. A complex of thunderstorms which becomes organized on a scale larger than the individual thunderstorms, and normally persists for several hours or more. MCSs may be round or linear in shape, and include systems such as tropical cyclones, squall lines, and Mesoscale Convective Complexes (MCCs) (among others). MCS often is used to describe a cluster of thunderstorms that does not satisfy the size, shape, or duration criteria of an Mesoscale Convective Complex.

So we're going to be looking at these storms forming a much larger cluster of thunderstorms and rainshowers.

Enjoy a nice lightning show from indoors & stay safe.

~KDLT Meteorologist Jesse Ritka