February is a special month for Yosemite National Park in California. Every year, for a couple of weeks, visitors to this natural American enclave witness a rare phenomenon known as the “firefall,” an event worth seeing at least once in a lifetime.
This incredible effect is born through the last rays of daylight, which illuminate the waterfall of Horsetail Falls, which runs over the vertical wall of El Capitan mountain, creating a phenomenon that resembles a real river of lava.
Yosemite National Park public affairs officer Scott Gediman delves into the details of this phenomenon, revealing to Agence France-Presse (AFP): “When the sun sets at exactly the right angle, it reflects off El Capitan.” , so it is a unique event that only takes place under ideal conditions.
This amazing manifestation of nature only lasts a few minutes, but its peculiarity makes thousands of tourists from all corners of the country travel to California every February to see it. Adds Gediman: “It’s a combination of the sun reflecting off the water, clear skies, flowing water. When all of that comes together, it’s magical.”
Visitors to Yosemite Park, including Californian Whitney Clark, took photos to immortalize this extraordinary moment. Clark told AFP: “Depending on how the sun sets against the mountain or the rock, it creates a really good fire effect for photographers and you can get a beautiful image.” The impressive images show how light rays “ignite” the water, creating a river of lava that unfurls down the mountain.
For several years, California, known as The Golden State (The Golden State) for its sunny days a year, has suffered a drought that greatly affects the rivers in the area. Fortunately, the downpours that have hit the western part of the country since the beginning of the year have improved the state of the water courses, allowing the formation of this striking waterfall. However, this situation has in turn left deadly floods in the country.
Last January, the US National Weather Service referred to a “relentless parade of cyclones” in California, forcing the closure of roads and the evacuation of entire cities. Faced with the difficult situation, the country’s president, Joe Biden, went so far as to declare an emergency situation, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to “coordinate all measures for disaster management and alleviate the suffering caused by the emergency on the local population “.
