Yosemite National Park occupies 1,190 sq miles of some of the most beautiful landscape in the world, but the the one mile wide by seven mile long valley floor makes up the most popular part of the park. This small section of real estate is where the vast majority of people spend most of their time. During the busy summer months the valley looks more like a crowded metropolitan city park than a dedicated wilderness area.
But why the crowds congregate to this small little plot of land is by no means an accident. They are there because Yosemite Valley provides some of the best scenery to be found anywhere in the world. John Muir called it the "Crown Jewel of the Sierra Nevada"
Weather in Yosemite can range from 100 degrees in the valley during the summer to below zero in the upper elevations of the park during the winter. Yosemite Valley that rests at an elevation of about 4,000 feet has fairly mild temperatures throughout the year, but as you go higher, the temperature (in general) decreases 1 degree Fahrenheit for every 300 feet of elevation gain. Precipitation also increases 2 to 4 inches for each 300 feet of elevation gain reaching a maximum at about 5000 to 6000 feet. You will hit these elevations along the Mist Trail between Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls. Ninety five percent of the precipitation (both in rain and snow form) falls between October and May, with more than half (typically) falling in January, February, and March.
But why the crowds congregate to this small little plot of land is by no means an accident. They are there because Yosemite Valley provides some of the best scenery to be found anywhere in the world. John Muir called it the "Crown Jewel of the Sierra Nevada"
Weather in Yosemite can range from 100 degrees in the valley during the summer to below zero in the upper elevations of the park during the winter. Yosemite Valley that rests at an elevation of about 4,000 feet has fairly mild temperatures throughout the year, but as you go higher, the temperature (in general) decreases 1 degree Fahrenheit for every 300 feet of elevation gain. Precipitation also increases 2 to 4 inches for each 300 feet of elevation gain reaching a maximum at about 5000 to 6000 feet. You will hit these elevations along the Mist Trail between Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls. Ninety five percent of the precipitation (both in rain and snow form) falls between October and May, with more than half (typically) falling in January, February, and March.
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THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR YOSEMITE VALLEY AT THE 3,998 FT LEVEL
| April | 19 | Friday Night A 30 percent chance of showers after 5am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph. |
| April | 20 | Saturday A chance of showers before 7am, then a chance of showers after 9am. Increasing clouds, with a high near 66. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%. |
| April | 20 | Saturday Night A 20 percent chance of showers before 11pm. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 40. Calm wind becoming east northeast around 5 mph. |
| April | 21 | Sunday A 20 percent chance of showers after 11am. Increasing clouds, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. |
| April | 21 | Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 42. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph after midnight. |
| April | 22 | Monday Sunny, with a high near 73. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph. |
| April | 22 | Monday Night Clear, with a low around 46. Calm wind becoming east northeast around 5 mph after midnight. |
| April | 23 | Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 79. East northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning. |
| April | 23 | Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 49. Calm wind. |
| April | 24 | Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 79. East northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm. |
| April | 24 | Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 50. Calm wind. |
| April | 25 | Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. |
| April | 25 | Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. West southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. |
| April | 26 | Friday Partly sunny, with a high near 73. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. |
To the left is frozen Ellery Lake (9,489 feet) The Lake is located along the Tioga Road just below the Tioga Pass (9,943 feet) This photo was taken on June 6th, 2010 (opening day for the Tioga Pass Road that year).
When the Tioga Pass Road opens varies from year to year (depending on weather and snow conditions). Tioga Pass is the Eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park. It is the highest highway pass in California and in the Sierra Nevada.
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR TUOLUMNE MEADOWS AT 8,650 FEET
Check out the big temperature drop when comparing the higher elevation of Tuolumne Meadows to the Valley Floor's forecast as noted above.
| April | 19 | Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. |
| April | 20 | Saturday A chance of snow showers before 9am, then a chance of rain and snow showers between 9am and 11am, then a chance of snow showers after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Breezy, with a southwest wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. |
| April | 20 | Saturday Night A 20 percent chance of snow showers before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. |
| April | 21 | Sunday A 20 percent chance of snow showers after 11am. Increasing clouds, with a high near 40. North wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. |
| April | 21 | Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. North northeast wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. |
| April | 22 | Monday Sunny, with a high near 47. Northeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. |
| April | 22 | Monday Night Clear, with a low around 25. Northeast wind around 10 mph. |
| April | 23 | Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 52. North northeast wind around 10 mph. |
| April | 23 | Tuesday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. North northwest wind around 5 mph becoming northeast in the evening. |
| April | 24 | Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 55. East wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the morning. |
| April | 24 | Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 30. Southwest wind around 5 mph. |
| April | 25 | Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. |
| April | 25 | Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. Southwest wind around 10 mph. |
| April | 26 | Friday A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph |
Above Weather Report Powered by the National Weather Service
Half Dome Cable Ladder to the Left
Psalm 103:11-13
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
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