By — Lorna Baldwin Lorna Baldwin Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/sea-clouds-covers-grand-canyon Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Sea of clouds cover the Grand Canyon in rare weather event Nation Dec 11, 2014 5:47 PM EDT Imagine showing up for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to view the Grand Canyon in Arizona only to find the deep ravine completely covered by clouds. If you went today, that’s what you saw — a rare total cloud inversion just below the rim. The unusual weather phenomenon usually happens every few years, but this is the second year in a row. The clouds materialize when cold air gets caught between the Earth’s surface and warmer air above, according to the National Weather Service. Weather forecasters expect these clouds to dissipate gradually as a cold weather system moves in, bringing the first snow of the season to the national landmark. Watch a time lapse video of the clouds beginning to close in over the canyon several days ago: We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Lorna Baldwin Lorna Baldwin Lorna Baldwin is an Emmy and Peabody award winning producer at the PBS NewsHour. In her two decades at the NewsHour, Baldwin has crisscrossed the US reporting on issues ranging from the water crisis in Flint, Michigan to tsunami preparedness in the Pacific Northwest to the politics of poverty on the campaign trail in North Carolina. Farther afield, Baldwin reported on the problem of sea turtle nest poaching in Costa Rica, the distinctive architecture of Rotterdam, the Netherlands and world renowned landscape artist, Piet Oudolf. @lornabaldwin
Imagine showing up for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to view the Grand Canyon in Arizona only to find the deep ravine completely covered by clouds. If you went today, that’s what you saw — a rare total cloud inversion just below the rim. The unusual weather phenomenon usually happens every few years, but this is the second year in a row. The clouds materialize when cold air gets caught between the Earth’s surface and warmer air above, according to the National Weather Service. Weather forecasters expect these clouds to dissipate gradually as a cold weather system moves in, bringing the first snow of the season to the national landmark. Watch a time lapse video of the clouds beginning to close in over the canyon several days ago: We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now