(CNN) So much for that warm, sunny Memorial Day vacation to the Grand Canyon.

Clear views of America's most beautiful ditch were briefly interrupted by something rarely seen this late in the year -- snow. Light snow began falling in the morning, lasting for several hours, dusting the Grand Canyon.

'It's common for snow to fall in Flagstaff in April and May, but to have accumulating snow after May 26th is quite unusual," said the National Weather Service's office in Flagstaff, Arizona.

In fact, "it's only happened 8 times since we've been keeping records," the NWS Flagstaff office said.

Flagstaff is about an hour south of Grand Canyon National Park, where about 5.9 million tourists visit every year.