Sunrise Lightning

As I drove to work this morning, out Hwy14 across the eastern plains of Colorado, I saw the most unusual scene. It was a reasonably sunny horizon, as the sun peaked through some remaining clouds up high. I noticed a bit of virga, streaming down, a phenomenon I always find interestingly beautiful. And, then the sky lit up with an impressive ground strike. Aren't they always though?

It was close enough, though I couldn't hear the thunder. Several more times as the sky brightened, I witnessed a few more bolts and even caught a bit of the thunder as a few unnervingly large raindrops splattered my windshield. It was a most interesting weather event, and reminded me of how, growing up in the Midwest, I always anticipated and sort of reveled in watching storm clouds build on the horizon and roll in with calm but riveting spectacle.