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
| October | 18 | Friday Night Clear, with a steady temperature around 49. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm. |
| October | 19 | Saturday Sunny, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph. |
| October | 19 | Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a steady temperature around 49. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm. |
| October | 20 | Sunday Sunny, with a high near 67. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming west in the afternoon. |
| October | 20 | Sunday Night Clear, with a low around 44. West northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. |
| October | 21 | Monday Sunny, with a high near 74. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning. |
| October | 21 | Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 47. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph after midnight. |
| October | 22 | Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 78. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm. |
| October | 22 | Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 48. Calm wind becoming east northeast around 5 mph after midnight. |
| October | 23 | Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 75. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm. |
| October | 23 | Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 46. West wind around 5 mph becoming east northeast in the evening. |
| October | 24 | Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. East northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning. |
| October | 24 | Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. Calm wind becoming east northeast around 5 mph after midnight. |
| October | 25 | Friday Sunny, with a high near 75. East northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning. |
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.
| October | 18 | Friday Night Clear, with a low around 24. West wind 5 to 10 mph. |
| October | 19 | Saturday Sunny, with a high near 42. Breezy, with a west wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph. |
| October | 19 | Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 24. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. |
| October | 20 | Sunday Sunny, with a high near 46. West wind 10 to 15 mph becoming north in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. |
| October | 20 | Sunday Night Clear, with a low around 29. North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph. |
| October | 21 | Monday Sunny, with a high near 52. North wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. |
| October | 21 | Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 31. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. |
| October | 22 | Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 55. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph. |
| October | 22 | Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 31. West wind 5 to 10 mph. |
| October | 23 | Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 52. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north northeast in the morning. |
| October | 23 | Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 28. North northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. |
| October | 24 | Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 49. East northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. |
| October | 24 | Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. East wind around 5 mph. |
| October | 25 | Friday Sunny, with a high near 53. East wind around 5 mph becoming west in the afternoon. |
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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