Iowa Funnel

As the funnel crosses the road over my head, it becomes stronger and stronger. It's literally passing over my head (I do not recommend this) and I'm watching this funnel cloud spinning as it's passing. I frantically run towards the side of the road in the direction the storm is moving to get closer to the grass and take this shot. You can see the giant curve the funnel is doing. I'm thinking it's surely to touch down any second now, but this whole window of a photo was only open for about 20 seconds as the inflow got choked and the funnel dissipated within seconds.

I was probably the only person to see this because it happened so relatively quickly and no one was around. It's also why I find this photo so special because it was something that happened and I was probably the only person on Earth to witness this particular shot.

Four weeks of driving about 10,000 miles, dodging hail, lightning, heavy rains, and winds. When I was at my most exhausted and didn't even really want to chase this day, I ended up getting the most beautiful shot of the year. With only one hour left before storms would overtake me and I wouldn't be able to get another shot, I ended up capturing the most beautiful storm I saw in 2024.