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
| November | 27 | Friday Night Mostly clear, with a steady temperature around 43. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph. |
| November | 28 | Saturday Sunny, with a high near 55. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph. |
| November | 28 | Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a steady temperature around 43. Calm wind becoming east northeast around 5 mph in the evening. |
| November | 29 | Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. East northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm. |
| November | 29 | Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Calm wind becoming east northeast around 5 mph. |
| November | 30 | Monday Sunny, with a high near 56. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm. |
| November | 30 | Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 37. Northeast wind around 5 mph. |
| December | 1 | Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 58. East northeast wind around 5 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. |
| December | 1 | Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 39. East northeast wind around 5 mph. |
| December | 2 | Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 58. East northeast wind around 5 mph becoming north in the afternoon. |
| December | 2 | Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 38. East northeast wind around 5 mph. |
| December | 3 | Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. East northeast wind around 5 mph becoming west in the afternoon. |
| December | 3 | Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 36. East northeast wind around 5 mph. |
| December | 4 | Friday Sunny, with a high near 57. North northeast wind 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.
| November | 27 | Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 19. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph after midnight. |
| November | 28 | Saturday Sunny, with a high near 40. Calm wind. |
| November | 28 | Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 20. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm. |
| November | 29 | Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. South southwest wind around 5 mph. |
| November | 29 | Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 19. West wind around 5 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. |
| November | 30 | Monday Sunny, with a high near 39. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. |
| November | 30 | Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 20. Northwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. |
| December | 1 | Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 39. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. |
| December | 1 | Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 20. East northeast wind around 10 mph. |
| December | 2 | Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 39. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. |
| December | 2 | Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 18. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. |
| December | 3 | Thursday Sunny, with a high near 37. East wind around 5 mph. |
| December | 3 | Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 18. East wind around 5 mph. |
| December | 4 | Friday Sunny, with a high near 38. East northeast wind 5 to 10 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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