Time-lapse video of 'Firefall' at Yosemite National Park in California looks like lava flowing down mountain
According to the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, visitors have from about mid-February to the end of February to try and see the "Firefall."
Watch: Spectacular time-lapse video shows Firefall in all its glory
Time-lapse video shows the mesmerizing Firefall at Horsetail Fall, a seasonal waterfall within Yosemite National Park. Firefall occurs when the sun is setting and sends beams of light shining down to give the illusion that a river of molten lava is flowing off El Capitan.
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. – A waterfall illuminated by the sun at the exact right time created the illusion of lava from a volcano flowing down the side of El Capitan at Yosemite National Park in California, and the spectacular and popular event at the national park was captured in a mesmerizing time-lapse video last week.
Shreenivasan Manievannan captured the time-lapse video on Thursday.
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This image shows Firefall at Yosemite National Park in California.
(Shreenivasan Manievannan via Storyful)
"Firefall" occurs when the sun is setting as beams of sunlight shine down on Horsetail Fall at a particular angle. As it does, the water shines bright and looks like a river of molten lava.
Conditions must be perfect, though, for everything to come together.
FILE – 'Firefall' effect spotted on Yosemite's Horsetail Fall
2023 footage captured by Ralph McLaughlin.
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First, there needs to be enough water at Horsetail Fall.
That hasn't been a problem. California was pounded by a multiday atmospheric river storm last week that dumped heavy rain that led to flooding, as well as mudslides and landslides across the state.
FILE - Horsetail Fall glows during the Firefall event in Yosemite National Park outside Merced, Calif., on Saturday, February 20, 2021. Every February the park is descended upon by visitors hoping to catch the "Firefall" when the setting sun lights up Horsetail Fall, causing it to glow red-orange along with a small area of the rock face of El Capitan.
(Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle / Getty Images)
The sun must shine during the day so snow can melt and feed the river. It also can't be too cold as the sun is setting. Otherwise, the river will freeze and stop flowing.
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FILE - General views of the Yosemite Firefall natural phenomenon at Horsetail Fall ending in a pinkish hue on February 24, 2021 in Yosemite, California.
(AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images / Getty Images)
Conditions must also be clear for the sun to shine on the mountain.
As luck would have it, the atmospheric river storm last week moved out of California on Wednesday, bringing better conditions to the region by Thursday.
According to the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, visitors have from about mid-February to the end of February to try and see the "Firefall."