The Grand Canyon, one of the seven wonders of the natural world, became even more wondrous on Thursday, thanks to a rare weather event. A sea of clouds filled the chasm from the bottom up, ebbing and flowing like a seaside tide.
The stunning sight of the canyon filling with fog like water fills a bathtub occurred due to a total temperature inversion. “This occurs when a cold layer of air is trapped at the base of the canyon and is topped by a warmer layer,” the Washington Post reported. “On clear, calm nights, the rate of cooling near the surface increases and, if there is low level moisture present, condensation processes kick in and fog forms.”
Recent rains near Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park, combined with a lack of winds in the ravine, produced the necessary moisture for a total cloud inversion to develop. The fog has enveloped much of the northern region of the Grand Canyon state, the Associated Press reported.
The spectacular cloud cover was captured by visitors to the Grand Canyon and National Park Service employees.
Cory Mottice of the National Weather Service told AP that the weather event happens about once every several years, though the landmark was treated to one last year.
The last time fog filled the ravine was December 3, 2013. The canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and is more than a mile deep in some places.
Mottice says the Grand Canyon will gradually clear up in the coming days.