VIDEO: Snow, mist cover Grand Canyon, weather alert issued

Gulf Today Report

Heavy snow and mist settled in Grand Canyon, Arizona, US, on Sunday, prompting authorities issue weather alerts.

Grand Canyon National Park Twitter said State Route 64 - Desert View Drive - between Grand Canyon Village and Desert View has been closed due to hazardous conditions caused by winter storm. The park also tweeted photos with the caption, “webcam views show Grand Canyon filled with clouds this morning. Light snow is falling at 7:45 am, Sunday, January 24, 2021. Caution: Park roads, footpaths and trails are snow-packed and icy. Foot traction devices and trekking poles recommended. #AZWX”

A video posted by the park showed partial cloud inversion from Grand Canyon Village.

Canyon cliffs along the rim were covered in snow while thick clouds hide the view below. The park also said a larger storm is expected on Monday, reducing visibility and making travel hazardous.

On the other hand, a Las Vegas-based tour bus heading to the Grand Canyon rolled over in northwestern Arizona on Friday, killing one person and critically injuring two others, authorities said.

A spokeswoman for the Mohave County Sheriff's Office said the cause of the Friday afternoon wreck was not yet known, but a fire official who responded said speed appeared to be a factor. No other vehicles were involved.

"It was a heavily damaged bus. He slid down the road quite a ways, so there was a lot of wreckage,” said Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire District Chief Tim Bonney. "Just to put it in perspective, on a scale of zero to 10, an eight.”

None of the passengers was ejected from the vehicle but they were all in shock, Bonney said.

"A lot of them were saying the bus driver was driving at a high rate of speed,” he said.