Meteor
© tumasia, Getty Images/iStockphotoA handful of South Dakotans reported seeing a meteor in the southeastern part of the state. It has not been confirmed yet if a meteor actually hit.
Jason Rumpca of Beresford was driving to Sioux Falls from Pierre Sunday night when a bright streak lit up the sky.

"I could see glowing orange debris (and) fragments falling from it as it entered the atmosphere," Rumpca said.

He wasn't the only one to catch a glimpse of the meteor-like flash, which prompted social media posts and calls to authorities.

The Charles Mix County Sheriff's Office received a call around 9:15 p.m. from a Lake Andes woman reporting a bright light in the sky, kind of like lightning. A nearby officer verified the sighting, according to the sheriff's office.

"(It) looked like a large ball of fire with pieces falling off as it got closer to the ground," Bobby Mousseau, a police officer in Santee, Neb., said. "It disappeared well before the ground."

The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls heard reports about the flash but was unable to confirm the meteor claim.

"Obviously, something did happen," said Brad Adams, observing program leader for the Sioux Falls National Weather Service. "We don't have any way to monitor things of that nature."

The Space Weather Prediction Center reported geomagnetic storms overnight Sunday into Monday. The Draconid meteor shower was also expected to light up the sky over the weekend.

The center doesn't track meteorites, though, according to spokesman Bob Rutledge, so it could not confirm if something touched down in South Dakota or flew by and burned out. The center generally provides information regarding how space weather impacts everything from Earth's climate to GPS systems.

The bright streak appeared larger than a typical falling star, according to Sioux Falls fire fighter Jim Powers.

"To me it looked green," Powers said. "It was only there a second or two."

Whatever it was, those who saw saw it special.

"I have never seen anything like it in my life," said Katie Christie in a Facebook comment to the Argus Leader.

Here's a sample of social media posts following the sighting: