Tourists at Grand Canyon National Park witnessed a rare treat on Wednesday (January 28) -- a meteorological phenomenon known as cloud inversion.

Time lapse video captured the occurrence, showing a blanket of white clouds swirling in the canyon, and rising nearly to the top of the popular attraction.

Meteorologists say cloud inversion is the result of warm air and a lack of wind sitting on top of the clouds, keeping them near the earth's surface and preventing them from rising into the sky.

Battleship Rock on the South Rim (seen below) "truly looked like a ship today, cutting through the waves," said the Interior Department.

A similar phenomenon occurred in December.

"While typically a rare event, this is the second cloud inversion at the Grand Canyon in six weeks," said the Interior Department.

These total inversions are actually a rare event, according to the National Weather Service, who says that the phenomenon typically happens just once every several years.

The clouds eventually left the canyon in a westward direction.

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