Jan Wesner Childs
More than a dozen giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park were taken down by powerful winds that also destroyed several buildings, crushed cars and caused millions of dollars in damage at the park last week.
Yosemite has been closed since Jan. 19 and isn't expected to reopen until at least Monday.
“We have extensive damage in the park,” Scott Gediman, a park spokesman, told the Mercury News. “Millions and millions of dollars. There could be more giant sequoias down. We are continuing the damage assessment.”
Gediman told the Los Angeles Times that early estimates indicate repairs “will be in the ballpark” of a 1997 flood that caused “upward of $200 million" in damage.
The winds, with gusts between 50 and 100 mph, were ushered in by a deep contrast between low- and high-pressure systems and also sparked wildfires, prompted evacuations and caused more than 270,000 power outages across parts of California.
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In the Yosemite area, such winds are referred to as Mono winds. In other regions, they're called Santa Ana or Diablo winds.
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More trees and limbs were knocked down as a winter storm moved through this week with heavy snow. So far those have all been smaller ones, but the storm hampered efforts to reopen sooner.
The 15 sequoias that were flattened are in the Mariposa Grove area of the park, which is home to one of Yosemite's oldest famous trees. Named the Grizzly Giant, it's estimated to be 2,700 years old.
The Grizzly Giant is still standing.
The trees that fell damaged boardwalks, a restroom building and other facilities.
About 20 employee homes and some privately owned cabins were damaged, and about 20 cars were crushed, according to the Mercury News.
Gediman said he can't remember any other storm that knocked down as many sequoias.
“Yosemite National Park by definition is a wild place,” he said. “Natural occurrences like fires, floods, rockfalls and wind events happen. That’s part of the story of the park. We’re thankful that nobody got hurt. It’s our hope we’ll see new trees germinate. It’s part of the ever-changing nature of the park.”
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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