PIERRE — A Finnish company has released it’s annual report on lightning, naming the city with the highest lightning density in the country. For South Dakota, that title of lightning capital is no far from the state’s actual capital. Areas around Midland, in Haakon County had a lightning density of 141 lightning strikes per square kilometer last year. South Dakota ranked 12th, up three from 2021 in lightning count with over five-point-five million strikes. In terms of lightning density, South Dakota ranks 18th, up five from 2021 with nearly 28 lightning events per kilometer. One report highlight is over 11-hundred lightning strikes in three days over Buffalo, New York during a snow storm in November that dropped 80 inches of snow. Most of those strikes were located near wind turbines. Vaisala produces the annual Total Lightning Statistics report. The company develops, manufactures and markets products and services for environmental and industrial measurement. The lightning report is here.
