You are here

Satellite Photos Show How Dire Snow Conditions Are At Yosemite National Park, Sierra Range

Share
Alternate Text
NOAA satellite images. 

How skimpy are snow levels across the Sierra Nevada this winter? The above satellite photo pretty much sums things up. If things don't get better soon, the coming summer could produce a nasty wildfire season. 

And, of course, the size of the snowpack is directly proportional to the fury of the waterfalls plunging into Yosemite Valley come spring time.

"'Sierra Nevada' means "snowy mountain range" in Spanish. But, the mountain range that's home to Yosemite isn't living up to its name so far this year, as you can see from these satellite images comparing last January with this January," reads a post on Yosemite National Park's Facebook page. "While chances are almost nil that we'll receive an average amount of precipitation this winter, February is the wettest month in Yosemite, so we can hope for a wet February."

Things aren't any better down the road in Sequoia National Park, where the mountains in the Mineral King section of the park are brown, not white as you'd expect them to be this time of year. (Photos compared January 14 from 2011 and 2014)

 

Alternate Text
National Weather Service photos.

Comments

This is a bad year up and down the west coast. Not just for the upcoming wildfire season, which is going to be just ugly, but because electricity is going to be more expensive, and because watering yards is going to be restricted, and because there's not going to be enough water for agriculture, industry, and home use.

Drought is one of the scariest natural phenomena on the planet.


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.