Yosemite drenched, but spared intense flood damage

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK — Water puddled on the roads, cascaded down seemingly every cliff, butted up against bridges and filled low-lying meadows Sunday, but Yosemite appeared to have avoided the catastrophic flooding that forecasters predicted.

Rain, thunder and lightning echoed and flashed throughout the night, and the waterworks continued Sunday, bringing the Merced River close to flood stage. But the picturesque valley, while wet, had not yet been immersed under the roiling river.

“At this point, the eye of the storm system has shifted away from Yosemite Valley — the weather model is showing that it is shifting north,” said Jamie Richards, a Yosemite spokeswoman. “We’re looking at roadways being impacted and some cleanup will be necessary, but there will be fewer impacts to park infrastructure than originally anticipated.”

The Merced river churns its way out of the valley in Yosemite National Park, Ca., on Sunday Jan. 8, 2017, which is currently under a flash flood watch. The Merced river churns its way out of the valley in Yosemite National Park, Ca., on Sunday Jan. 8, 2017, which is currently under a flash flood watch. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Yosemite drenched, but spared intense flood damage 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

Hundreds of Yosemite visitors and employees were evacuated Friday, leaving the valley virtually deserted for the weekend as a skeleton crew of 80 or so workers prepared to do battle with the swollen Merced. The river was originally predicted to rise about 13 feet above flood stage, but by Sunday the forecast was downgraded to just under 2 feet above the level at which it starts spilling over its banks.

The storm poured serious amounts of water over Yosemite, but not nearly enough to create the havoc many thought would befall the granite-walled valley.

Officials had feared a repeat of the New Year’s Day inundation of 1997, which was the worst flooding in Yosemite in more than 40 years. Power lines, sewers, bridges and roads were washed out, and more than 2,000 employees and visitors were trapped for two days during the flood, which cause $176 million in damage.

The flood helped inspire the Merced Wild and Scenic River Plan, which called for the removal of riverside development, including campgrounds, and the shoring up of roads. It is the reason park officials were confident during this storm even when the predictions were much more dire.

As it is, the Merced was expected to rise to 11.8 feet late Sunday, not too far above the 10-foot flood stage. That would probably be too low to do serious damage to Northside and Southside drives, the two main roads in and out of Yosemite Valley.

However, by dusk Sunday, a rushing stream was flowing across Northside Drive near the foot of a cliff where the water originated. As the cascade poured thousands of feet to the valley floor, it dislodged boulders that plummeted to earth.

“We’ve got to get out of here!” Richards, the Yosemite spokeswoman, shouted as the rocks ricocheted noisily off the granite walls.

Forecasters predicted that the Merced River waters would quickly recede around midnight. Barring unexpected damage, park officials were hoping to begin allowing employees back in Monday, at which time they will also discuss whether to reopen the park to visitors.

Yosemite was no less sublime for all the trouble the storm caused. Empty and eerily void of humanity, the valley nevertheless echoed with the roar of nature.

Hundreds of new waterfalls raged along the granite cliffs, including two white foaming gushers on the normally blank granite feature known as the Royal Arches.

Rivers of white water snaked sideways along cracks 2,000 feet in the air and then leaped off precipices, spraying into the abyss. Yosemite Falls turned overnight into a thundering cascade that was spraying foam far outward over the valley.

Everywhere there were unusual sights — a snowman sitting in the middle of a lake in Upper Pines campground; picnic tables surrounded by water; a wooden bench beached on the shore of the Merced, partially immersed.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite