As gusty winds whipped through Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday, photographer Ed Braz captured shocking footage of its result.
The powerful winds toppled a large, under-construction condominium, leveling the building completely.
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Setting the stage for the severe weather was unusual warmth, as temperatures peaked at 69 degrees F in the afternoon, nearly 20 degrees above normal.
Paired with moist air and a passing cold front, thunderstorms and strong winds stretched across the region Saturday afternoon.
Though winds gusted mostly between 20 and 30 mph, a record gust of 86 mph was recorded at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, just miles from where the footage was shot.
In the photographer's blog this weekend, Braz detailed his experience:
"Took my phone/camera to document this unusual weather phenomenon and was some-what concerned about how my building would hold up. Turned on the video recording, placed the phone up against the glass pane and felt the vibration caused by the high-speed winds. As I was commenting to myself in a half-tone about the scary nature of what I was seeing and feeling, I got a lot more than I could expect.
Within a few seconds the wind gusted and the structure a mere 30 yards (roughly 30 m) came crashing down turning the building into heap of wooden beams and compressed sheeting."
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