The park received a dump of snow on Tuesday that broke a 54-year-old record. Photo: Yosemite NationalPark//Facebook
Yosemite National Park is closed indefinitely while park officials struggle to deal with a record-breaking snowfall.
Many parts of the western United States have seen snowfall amounts far above average, and Yosemite saw so much that it broke a 54-year-old record. Up to 15 feet of snow blanketed the park in an event that park officials have called “once in a generation.”
Yosemite, which was closed last week, was due to open on Thursday, but the new snow pushed that date back further. As of this writing officials don’t know when they might be able to open the park to visitors again.
“We’re committed to opening as soon as we can do it in a safe manner,” Scott Gediman, a park spokesperson, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “While we certainly welcome the snow, it’s created a lot of challenges.”
Yosemite saw 40 inches of snow fall on Tuesday alone, breaking the old record that was set in 1969. There’s so much snow that California governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency and activated the California Guard. The counties affected by the state of emergency are Amador, Kern, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Nevada, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sierra, Sonoma, and Tulare.
It’s not over yet, either — another storm is forecasted, and the National Weather Service (NWS) is warning of “extensive travel impacts.”
