--- ---  # A Rare Weather Phenomenon Is Causing a Sea of Clouds to Fill the Grand Canyon by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Dec 12, 2014 3:22 AM UTC  This photo provided by the National Park Service shows dense clouds at the south rim of the Grand Canyon on Dec. 11, 2014 in Arizona. This photo provided by the National Park Service shows dense clouds at the south rim of the Grand Canyon on Dec. 11, 2014 in Arizona.Maci MacPherson—;AP by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Dec 12, 2014 3:22 AM UTC A rare weather phenomenon has caused the Grand Canyon to fill up with [fog](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/be9360adf4564337afaa31caa43f5078/clouds-fill-grand-canyon-rare-weather-event). The weather pattern is called a “total cloud inversion” and occurs when clouds are forced down by warm air and cannot rise, the Associated Press reports. Instead of the usual stunning views, visitors to the national park gaze out over a fluffy white blanket. The National Weather Service in Arizona says the phenomenon happens every few years. For those planning on visiting one of the world’s most famous natural wonders, the fog is expected to dissipate after Thursday. \[[_AP_](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/be9360adf4564337afaa31caa43f5078/clouds-fill-grand-canyon-rare-weather-event)\] Rare Weather Phenomenon Causes Sea of Clouds to Fill the Grand Canyon ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3631175/grand-canyon-cloud/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3631175/grand-canyon-cloud/"},"headline":"A Rare Weather Phenomenon Is Causing a Sea of Clouds to Fill the Grand Canyon","datePublished":"2014-12-12T03:22:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T02:48:06.124Z","description":"The fog is able to stick and build up in the Grand Canyon when there is no wind","url":"https://time.com/3631175/grand-canyon-cloud/","keywords":["weather","Arizona"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte9831e68648f7a82/69876e60a988cafe5f6ab58c/grand-canyon-clouds-_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Helen Regan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/helen-regan/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte9831e68648f7a82/69876e60a988cafe5f6ab58c/grand-canyon-clouds-_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Grand Canyon Clouds","caption":"Grand Canyon Clouds","creditText":"Maci MacPherson—;AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/weather/","name":"weather"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3631175/grand-canyon-cloud/","name":"A Rare Weather Phenomenon Is Causing a Sea of Clouds to Fill the Grand Canyon"}}]}] ```