The hump is gone for another season!
And an image showing the snow amount they are dealing with.
Plows are plowing in 8 feet of snow one mile west of White Wolf (near Siesta Lake). This is a great image showing the work involved. It was taken on May 3rd.
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...05-roads_3.jpg
Dave.
.....and is closed again almost immediately.
A huge winter storm is blowing through so they have closed Glacier point road until further notice for safety reasons. This will almost certainly halt the progress of the plow teams on Tioga pass and will more than likely set them back with up to 21 inches of new snow accumulation expected !!
From the National weather service.
Quote:
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY
NIGHT TO 6 AM PDT FRIDAY ABOVE 5000 FEET...
* WHAT...Heavy snow expected above 5000 feet. Total snow
accumulation of up to 21 inches expected. Winds gusting as
high as 40 mph.
* WHERE...Central Sierra, North Kings River and Sequoia Kings.
* WHEN...From midnight Wednesday night to 6 AM PDT Friday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Travel could be very difficult to
impossible. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning
or evening commute.
Dave.
Plowing effort continues.
The crews have reportedly worked through the Olmsted Point avalanche zone and are clearing in the Tenaya lake area. Mono county crews are working there way along the pass from the east and have plowed about 1 mile along Tioga after the entry station. I'd say that puts them about 14 miles apart but there is still a lot of work to be done. In case you are wondering why it takes so long, here is a list of common causes from the Yosemite website that creates slow progress.
Quote:
Additionally, these are common causes for slow progress on the Tioga Road:
Road repairs, ditching, and brushing operations must occur once snow has melted back enough. The roads may also remain very icy even after they're plowed.
Avalanche zones (26 potential areas). The Olmsted Point avalanche zone requires careful work, including application of charcoal over the snow to help with melting and blasting the snow slab to make it safer for personnel.
Heavy snow pack slows the whole operation.
Trees that have fallen across the road and been buried in the snow can cause substantial damage to equipment and result in a stop to all operations until they're cleared.
Rockfalls buried by the snow can cause substantial damage to the equipment and result in a stop to all operations.
Snow storms during the opening require a stop to Tioga Road operations in order to plow and sand park roads that are open.
As it's a deep snow pack this year all of the above issues are likely to be a factor.
Another late storm causing disruption.
Another hazardous weather warning from the weather centre causing disruption to travel.
From Yosemite webpage.
Quote:
Road closures due to snow
Alert 1 , Severity ,closure ,,Road closures due to snow
Wawona Road (Hwy 41) is closed from Wawona to Yosemite Valley. Big Oak Flat Road (Hwy 120 from the west) is closed from Big Oak Flat Entrance to Foresta. Hetch Hetchy Road is closed. These closures will remain in effect overnight (May 26).
Glacier point road has also been temporarily closed due the storm.
From the National weather service.
Quote:
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM PDT
MONDAY ABOVE 6000 FEET...
* WHAT...Significant snow accumulations expected above 6000
feet. Total snow accumulations of 6 to 9 inches likely above
7000 feet. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 7 inches expected
from 6000 to 7000 feet. Winds will gust as high as 50 mph on
exposed ridgetops and along the crest.
* WHERE...Elevations above 6000 feet in the southern Sierra
Nevada, including Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National
parks.
* WHEN...Until 5 AM PDT Monday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Motorists should plan for travel
difficulties, delays, and slick, hazardous road conditions.
Road closures and chain restrictions are possible.
Dave.
