Global Courant 2023-04-29 23:28:31
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, California —
There were signs of snowmelt-fueled flooding all over the famed Yosemite Valley on Saturday as the normally placid Merced River overflowed its banks, inundating roads, erasing swimming beaches and turning pastures into murky pools.
Much of the valley was closed at 10 p.m. Friday, and the closures were expected to remain in place at least until Wednesday because of a rise in temperature that turned deep mounds of snow covering the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada into torrents of runoff.
The river, which meanders through Yosemite Valley, was expected to reach a height of about 10 feet on Sunday morning, its highest in years. Flood warnings have been issued for Mariposa, Fresno, Tulare and Kings counties due to excess runoff.
“Anyone with reservations in Yosemite Valley,” park officials said, “will receive a full refund.”
Earlier in the day on Friday, visitors to Yosemite National Park marveled at the sight and sounds of numerous new waterfalls cascading over the edges of towering cliffs surrounding the glacier-carved valley as the Merced River pushed the boundaries of the floodplain below.
Snowmelt has brought thunderous waterfalls to Upper Yosemite. Yosemite Valley will be closed at 10 p.m. Friday due to the flood forecast.
(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
Mountaineers Jon and Amy Holt of Bellingham, Washington, definitely had a different picture in mind when they planned a spring break that included climbing the granite cliff of El Capitan, an iconic vertical rock formation at the north end of the valley.
However, so far this year: “No one has climbed the captainsaid Amy Holt, 27, “because the trail back down is buried in snow.”
“It was even snowing when we got to the valley two weeks ago,” she said, “and the Merced River was at least 20 feet narrower and calmer.”
“So we’ve seen the water rise to where it is now,” she added, staring over a stretch of river forging new channels through a pine forest, “which is crazy.”
A few people stop by the patio of the 95-year-old Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park on Friday. They relax on the almost empty terrace. The hotel is undergoing structural improvements from January 2023 to complete seismic upgrades. A closure warning on the Ahwahnee Hotel’s website states that most of Yosemite Valley will be closed from April 28 to May 3 due to predicted flooding.
(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
Vacationers Mitch and Peggy Pingle, of Broomfield, Colo., also came to terms with an unexpected reality: They were picnicking in a serene meadow fringed with lupine flowers that may soon be washed away.
“We’re enjoying a good spot near the river,” mused Peggy Pingle, 67, “before the park closes this whole area because of flooding.”
Record-breaking snow depths of as much as 60 feet or more at higher elevations make it difficult to know exactly how wide a swath the Merced and its feeder creeks will cut through the 747,000-acre park visited by about 4 million people annually.
But the water is expected to begin to recede next week, when the National Weather Service predicts temperatures will dip to lows in the mid-30s.
Climate change combined with drought, snow, wildfires and flooding has been one of the park’s biggest challenges in recent years, undermining the concept of Yosemite as a sanctuary where nature reigns, untouched by man-made forces.
The drought has allowed the western pine bark beetles to kill large areas of the forest. Yosemite’s glaciers are melting, scientists say, mainly due to global warming.
Brendan Ward of the Valley Buildings and Groundwater Department will check the water level of Indian Canyon Creek and the sandbags next to the staff housing under the medical clinic in Yosemite National Park on Thursday. The Western Yosemite Valley will remain open subject to traffic congestion.
(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
Those environmental concerns aside, adjusting visitor flow in a premier national park just a 5-hour drive from Southern California’s 18 million people seems like simple solutions, even under the best of circumstances.
However, closing the park for several days for safety reasons entails costs. Tourism in Yosemite — the heart of the Sierra Nevada economy — generates a cumulative benefit to the region of about $686 million annually, officials said, directly supporting nearly 8,000 jobs.
This week’s flooding cannot be compared to the May 1997 water levels, when the river reached heights of about 25 feet and contributed to $178 million in damage, according to the National Weather Service.
That event left behind a jumble of overturned cabins, RVs, wrecked cars, and flooded campgrounds. At Yosemite Lodge, nearly 300 rooms and cabins were flooded and a nearby worker enclave known as Ozone was destroyed.
Now park officials are concerned about heavy snow cover still covering the Tuolumne River and Merced River watersheds, and waterfalls — Yosemite, Bridal Veil, Nevada and Vernal Falls — flowing very high for this time of year.
With the Merced River expected to reach the stage of flooding in early July, officials recently issued a stark warning: “Use extreme caution anywhere near running water; stay away from the riverbanks.
Sandbags were placed across the road from the medical clinic in Yosemite National Park on Thursday.
(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
Steve Montalto, creative director of Madera County’s Visit Yosemite, wouldn’t argue with that.
“Some people will think, ‘Ooh! Let’s go see the magic of Yosemite on steroids in the spring!’ he said, only jokingly. “That’s the dilemma park rangers and managers now face.”
