Yosemite Reports May Snow Survey Figures

Park photo

Yosemite, CA – Yosemite National Park rangers conducted their May 1 snow surveys as the Merced River peaked a few inches below flood stage early Monday morning.

As earlier reported here, the park closed the valley floor last weekend due to flooding concerns, especially related to the Merced River, which ended up below the forecasted peak. That allowed the park to reopen on Monday instead of Wednesday, as originally stated.

The snow surveys came in at 231% of average for the Merced River basin and 253% of average for the Tuolumne River basin. With the historic snow levels creating a significant snow melt and more to come, park officials caution that there may be some periods between late April and early July when Yosemite Valley is inaccessible due to flooding. They also advised, “River-related recreation, like rafting, swimming, and picnicking in picnic areas along the river, is likely to be unavailable until sometime in July, even when Yosemite Valley is open.”