Yosemite National Park on winter storm watch for final days of 2023

Yosemite National Park is expecting plenty of snow for the last few days of 2023.

On Thursday, the National Weather Service announced a winter advisory warning for the Sierra Nevada, including Yosemite National Park. The weather service warned that areas higher than 6,000 feet elevation could see snow 6 to 10 inches deep, with the highest points possibly reaching up to 18 inches.

There will also be winds of 35 to 40 mph, weather service meteorologist Andrew Bollenbacher told SFGATE.

“The travel impacts are the main catalyst for the winter weather advisory, especially in Yosemite itself. So we’ll be looking at those conditions deteriorating tonight, lasting through tomorrow and then become much more clear and calm by Sunday,” Bollenbacher said.

Glacier Point Road, Mariposa Grove Road and Tioga Road close yearly in preparation for the snow. As of 2 p.m. Friday, all other roads are open with no chain controls in place. Highway 41, which travels into Yosemite Valley, is open. Caltrans crews in Madera County, which encompasses the southeasternmost part of the park, are “not expecting much” to change due to the advisory, Caltrans spokesperson Larry Johnson told SFGATE.  

“We will have crews on standby. They said overnight it might drop down the snow level to about 5,000 feet, but we’re not anticipating much in our area,” Johnson said. 

The Sierra snowpack, which provides a good portion of water to California, is 28% of average on Friday, according to statewide data. Meteorologists are doubtful the coming winter storms will have a significant impact on snowpack.