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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“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.
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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.
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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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.”