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Rare phenomenon fills Grand Canyon with clouds, captured in photos

If you happened to be in the Grand Canyon National Park this past Thanksgiving weekend, you may have caught a spectacular display of a phenomenon called total cloud inversion. As heat rose from the ground deep below the canyon, cool air was sandwiched between warm air above, creating what looks like a sea of cloud filling the canyon.

The event isn’t uncommon, although it happens only once in a decade, according to park officials. However, it was rarely photographed. National Park Service ranger Erin Huggins (and many others) rushed out to capture the phenomenon from some fantastic viewpoints in the park’s South Rim, which you can check out at The Atlantic’s In Focus blog.

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Image used with permission by copyright holder
Les Shu
Former Senior Editor, Photography
I am formerly a senior editor at Digital Trends. I bring with me more than a decade of tech and lifestyle journalism…
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