Yosemite Park Warns of 'Extremely Dangerous' Effects of Flooding

California's Yosemite National Park has issued a warning of the "extremely dangerous" effects of flooding as the Merced River continues to rise.

In a statement posted on May 15, the park reiterated that it remains under a flood warning as the river reaches flood stage. It is expected to stay at that level for the next few days.

A record amount of snowpack accumulated in California over the winter months and into early March, as storms battered the state. That snowpack is now melting as temperatures start to rise, causing higher-than-average water flows at the park.

People have been warned not to approach or enter rivers due to fast currents which are "extremely dangerous," the statement said.

Campsites in the park have closed due to flooding and there may be more closures to follow.

Lower and North Pines Campgrounds, including a backpackers' campground and the Housekeeping Camp, will be closed until at least May 17. The closure is likely to be longer. The flood conditions are predicted to stay in place until the middle of June, the park statement said.

Officials previously said that at the start of April, the snowpack measured at 240 percent of the average for that time of year on Tioga Road. The statement said this was "the highest ever recorded for this area."

The road is one of the most popular routes through the park, running from Crane Flat to Lee Vining over Tioga Pass, the highest highway pass in California.

As of May 1, the park had more than double the average amount of snow for that time of year.

In the summer of 2022, Yosemite was suffering the effects of a third consecutive year of drought.

The above-average snowpack levels were welcome at first, as California has been in a drought for years—the increased snowmelt meant that many of the state's important reservoirs recorded rising water levels.

Experts hoped that the snowpack would melt more gradually and slowly continue to feed into the state's lakes and reservoirs.

However, it is melting more quickly than expected, meaning there is too much water for Yosemite's rivers to handle.

This has also been happening in other areas of the state.

Another example is being seen at Tulare Lake, a normally dry lake in the southern San Joaquin Valley.

The lake has recently spilled over due to the melting snowpack, which has caused devastation to surrounding agricultural lands.

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