Late Spring in the Yosemite High Country
Lembert Dome and Mount Dana rise high above Tuolumne Meadows on the last day of May three years ago, in the midst of the California drought. As you can see, the meadows were dry and almost all the snow was gone from the high peaks. This year is a very different story. This location, at about 8,600 feet of elevation, is still buried under between six and eight feet of snow, as of mid-May. Tioga Pass, the eastern entrance to Yosemite at 9,900 ft., has closer to fifteen, and likely won't open this year until late June or early July. Tuolumne Meadows has already set a record for annual precipitation (51.13 inches), and there are still six months to go. Total snowfall at this spot for the winter season this year? 493 inches. That's over 41 feet of snow –12.53 meters! Here's hoping it continues to melt rather slowly, to provide water for Yosemite, the Sierra foothills, and all of California throughout the long summer months.
Late Spring in the Yosemite High Country
Lembert Dome and Mount Dana rise high above Tuolumne Meadows on the last day of May three years ago, in the midst of the California drought. As you can see, the meadows were dry and almost all the snow was gone from the high peaks. This year is a very different story. This location, at about 8,600 feet of elevation, is still buried under between six and eight feet of snow, as of mid-May. Tioga Pass, the eastern entrance to Yosemite at 9,900 ft., has closer to fifteen, and likely won't open this year until late June or early July. Tuolumne Meadows has already set a record for annual precipitation (51.13 inches), and there are still six months to go. Total snowfall at this spot for the winter season this year? 493 inches. That's over 41 feet of snow –12.53 meters! Here's hoping it continues to melt rather slowly, to provide water for Yosemite, the Sierra foothills, and all of California throughout the long summer months.