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The End of Snow? Winter Pics of Yosemite's Half Dome Since Drought Hit [GIF]

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Sure, California drought imagery may be reaching its saturation point in the media, but the images are just too darn striking to ignore.

Case in point.

20150421_CA_trdIn average precipitation years, the snowpack in California's Sierra Nevada range is usually deepest in March, at the tail-end of winter storms. High elevation peaks like Yosemite's legendary Half Dome (8,839 feet), are typically covered in a thick blanket of snow.  But well into the state's fourth year of drought,  this year's snowpack is at a record low, a mere 6 percent of its historical average, with no sign of relief anytime soon.

These images of Half Dome, recorded by a Yosemite Conservancy webcam every March 19, capture the steady progression of drought. The first photo, from 2011, is taken during  winter before the dry conditions kicked in.

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