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.
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR YOSEMITE VALLEY AT THE 3,998 FT LEVEL
| September | 26 | Sunday Widespread haze before 3pm. Sunny, with a high near 84. Light west wind becoming west southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph. |
| September | 26 | Sunday Night Widespread haze after 7pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 52. West northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. |
| September | 27 | Monday Widespread haze between 7am and 3pm. Sunny, with a high near 81. Light and variable wind becoming west southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph. |
| September | 27 | Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 45. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light southwest in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph. |
| September | 28 | Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 71. Light south southwest wind becoming west southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. |
| September | 28 | Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable. |
| September | 29 | Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 75. East northeast wind around 5 mph becoming west southwest in the morning. |
| September | 29 | Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 46. West wind around 5 mph becoming east northeast in the evening. |
| September | 30 | Thursday Sunny, with a high near 80. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west southwest in the afternoon. |
| September | 30 | Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 48. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. |
| October | 1 | Friday Sunny, with a high near 80. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west southwest in the afternoon. |
| October | 1 | Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 49. West southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. |
| October | 2 | Saturday Sunny, with a high near 80. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west southwest in the afternoon. |
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.
| September | 26 | Sunday Widespread haze before 1pm. Areas of smoke after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 61. West wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. |
| September | 26 | Sunday Night Widespread haze before 5am. Mostly clear, with a low around 35. Southwest wind around 5 mph. |
| September | 27 | Monday Widespread haze after 7am. Sunny, with a high near 58. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. |
| September | 27 | Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. |
| September | 28 | Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 50. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. |
| September | 28 | Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 23. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming east northeast after midnight. |
| September | 29 | Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 51. East wind around 5 mph becoming north in the afternoon. |
| September | 29 | Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 27. East wind around 5 mph. |
| September | 30 | Thursday Sunny, with a high near 56. East wind around 5 mph. |
| September | 30 | Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 31. West northwest wind around 5 mph becoming south southwest in the evening. |
| October | 1 | Friday Sunny, with a high near 56. South southwest wind around 5 mph. |
| October | 1 | Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. West wind around 5 mph becoming south after midnight. |
| October | 2 | Saturday Sunny, with a high near 56. Southwest wind around 5 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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