#yosemite

#yosemite

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK (KFSN) -- A trip to Yosemite National Park came down to a gamble that paid off for one tour group from France. "We flipped a coin. I saw on the internet that it may be open or not, so we made a bet and we won. We're right here in Yosemite National Park," French tour guide Xavier Chanut said. Chanut wasn't sure what to expect on the first day of the government shutdown. He had a backup plan but was relieved to see Yosemite still open.

I had a mild case of polio-not enough to put me in an iron lung, but enough to keep me bedridden for weeks. As I came out of it, my mom wanted to do something for me. She realized that, growing up in the city, I'd missed out on a lot of nature.

Yosemite, San Joaquin River Canyon and Upper San Joaquin River are included in a weather alert for strong thunderstorms by the National Weather Service on Friday at 2:01 p.m. The alert is in effect until 2:30 p.m. The storms are foreseen to bring pea-sized hail (0.25 inches). At 2:01 p.m., Doppler radar tracked a strong thunderstorm 15 miles east of Yosemite South Entrance, moving south at 5 mph, according to the NWS Hanford CA.

Yosemite National Park's famed rock formation Half Dome stands 8,800 feet above sea level, and it can be a fairly treacherous hike. But don't tell that to a Sonoma County-based DJ who calls himself Habitaat, whom KTVU reports hauled his DJ equipment up that nearly 9,000-foot hike and performed a DJ set on top of Half Dome this past weekend.

Yosemite was placed under an updated report for strong thunderstorms by the National Weather Service on Tuesday at 7:22 a.m. The alert is in effect until 8 a.m. The storms may bring pea-sized hail (0.25 inches). At 7:22 a.m., Doppler radar tracked a strong thunderstorm 9 miles southeast of La Grange, or 22 miles northeast of Merced, moving south at 10 mph, according to the NWS Hanford CA. Minor hail damage to vegetation is possible.

Supporters of Shannon SJ Joslin, the nonbinary park ranger fired for hanging a massive transgender pride flag on Yosemite's El Capitan in May, are rallying Sunday afternoon at the Exploration Center in Yosemite Valley. Following the incident, NPS superintendent Ray McPadden implemented a rule prohibiting flying flags larger than 15 feet in the parks. [SF Standard] San Mateo is pursuing felony petty theft charges at more than seven times the rate of SF

The six-part series Untamed, set in Yosemite, features Eric Bana as a park investigator delving into a female hiker's suspicious death, but falls short of expectations.

This storm could bring marble-sized hail and features frequent cloud-to-ground lightning which poses a significant risk for those in the affected areas.