Heavy winds can lift buildings, rip trees from the ground, and reverse the natural flow of waterfalls. A photographer in Utah captured the exact moment when 40 to 60 MPH winds stopped a waterfall near Ivans from flowing down to the canyon below. The heavy winds affected the entire state due to a storm front blowing in. The rare phenomenon was due to massive updrafts along the cliffs. The photographer, RJ Hooper, @rjhooperphoto, posted a short clip of the water flying up to the cliff's edge on his TikTok account.
@rjhooperphoto One of the most incredible things I have ever witnessed in nature! The 60 mph wind was reversing the waterfall back over the top of the cliff. My Mavic 3 Cine handled the wind like a champ! @dji_official #dronevideo #drone #djimavic
His DJI Mavic 3 Cine drone seemed to handle the wind as it glides past the waterfall. He even says in the caption, "One of the most incredible things I have ever witnessed in nature! The 60 mph wind was reversing the waterfall back over the top of the cliff. My Mavic 3 Cine handled the wind like a champ!" The TikTokverse was astonished by the once-in-a-lifetime shot. One viewer writes, "This is wild!" While another said, "Self-sustaining waterfall?" That is definitely one way to conserve water! Others hinted that the battle between the elements is playing out before our eyes. Some commenters saw the humor in the water reversal. "I'm sorry. This is a water-free zone. You will have to go around," one writes. Another chimed in, " When even the water is afraid of those heights. 'Nope. I'm out this jump, boys.'"
Either way, it's an amazing site to see. Lucky for us, Hooper posted a longer version of the video to his YouTube, showing the waterfalls before, during, and after the wind event. One angle shows multiple waterfalls shooting up into the air.
In a Facebook post, Hooper did say that the drone struggled a little closer to the cliffs while capturing the unique footage. Hooper wrote, "Seriously, the most incredible day for such unique conditions! Just a small snippet of hours of content I shot today. In the last 20 years, I can only remember a couple of times the waterfalls in Kayenta (Utah) flowed backwards! My drone struggled against the 60 mph wind over the cliff edge!"
