The United States is currently in one of our most severe and unpredictable winters on record. So much so that currently, there is snow on the ground in 49 out of 50 states, with Florida being the exception.
The west coast has been getting pummeled, with drought-stricken California taking a large chunk of the damage. While the non-stop rain and snow is welcome to help refill the reservoirs, the water is coming at a drastic price, as the storms have caused millions of dollars of damage and loss of property.
Photographer Shawn Reeder has been documenting the Sierra Nevadas and Yosemite region for years. He even showed us the Yosemite Firefall like we had never seen before. Yesterday, warmer temperatures melted snow and mixed with heavy rains to cause remarkable scenes across the state. Reeder decided to head to the Yuma river to see how the river was responding to the storm, and was shocked at the power it held.
The below photos show us the same angle before the storms and what it looked like yesterday. Keep in mind, even the before photo is pretty high, especially compared to how the river looked during the years long drought.
I’ve never seen the river like this, and I hear it hasn’t been this big in 10 or 15 years. I can understand how people might find the raw fierce power of the raging river to be scary, but it doesn’t bring fear to me at all. I just feel pure gratitude at being able to witness nature in all its power and glory. It’s not every day we get to experience such awe-inspiring natural power, so I am beyond grateful for being able to experience it. There’s no question such power can and does bring destruction, but that’s part of the natural cycles of life:
Life -> Death -> Rebirth
In addition to the video, Reeder provided Resource Travel with some photographs of the dramatic scene.
See more from Reeder on his website, Instagram and Facebook
Film Music by Kirsi Ranto
