Yosemite National Park’s famous waterfalls are cascading down the valley’s towering cliffs despite one of the worst droughts in California’s history.
Thanks to a handful of December storms that have hit the dry state, Bridalveil, Cascade and Yosemite Falls are living up to their reputation as some of the most beautiful natural wonders in the country.
At 2,425 feet, Yosemite Falls is one of the tallest in North America and comprises three separate waterfalls: Upper Yosemite Fall, Middle Cascades and Lower Yosemite Fall. The National Park Service has a webcam that shows latest conditions at Yosemite Falls.
The falls were mostly dry in the summer months, but two major storms moved through California in the past few weeks providing some water in the extremely dry state.
“When you stand close, the decibel level seems impossible,” Lucy Garces, 27, a park employee, told the LA Times.
“You can hear the power and the danger and you feel so small, but it’s so big that you get to be here and cherish it.”
Vernal and Nevada falls have more land with snowmelt to feed them, so usually they fall longer and stronger later into the year than Yosemite Falls.
In May, snow surveys showed that the river drainage for the Merced and Tuolumne rivers that flow through waterfalls and creeks into the valley were at unusually low levels. Merced drainage was at 15% of average and Tuolumne at 25% average. In May 2011, the Merced river drainage was at 199% of the average and Tuolumne at 184% the average.
While the rain and snow have helped the waterfalls, this month’s rain is barely putting a dent in the debilitating drought in the state. State officials warned on 12 December that consistent rains through the winter and spring are needed to begin drought recovery.
