money Register photographer encounters tornado near Atlantic; 'It went right over the top of me'
Des Moines Register photographer Bryon Houlgrave was stunned by how fast a tornado charged toward him in western Iowa Wednesday evening.
Houlgrave had pulled over on Interstate Highway 80 near Atlantic when he saw the funnel cloud south of the highway. He shot a quick video of it and thought he’d have time to get away. He was wrong.
“It went right over the top of me,” he said by phone a few minutes later. “My car was really rocking. I thought it was going to tip over.”
The veteran photographer took a second video, which showed rain and hail blasting into his car. The whole encounter was over in just a few minutes. The rain subsided as soon as the initial storm front roared past. “It was just a really powerful, intense band,” he said.
A semitrailer truck was tipped over on its side nearby, Houlgrave said. Other trucks that had pulled over were still standing upright.
“It’s so eerie. It’s so dark,” he said, shortly before heading off to document any damage.
More: 88 mph winds were recorded in one Iowa city. Here are top wind speeds in Iowa
Tony Leys covers health care for the Register. Reach him at tleys@registermedia.com or 515-284-8449.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Tornado near Atlantic, IA captured by Des Moines Register photographer
