Yosemite National Park closed indefinitely amid extreme weather onslaught

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Couple plunges to death at Yosemite's Taft Point

Investigators are looking into the death of a couple who plunged off of Yosemite National Park's Taft Point.

Yosemite National Park is closed indefinitely due to extreme winter weather that is expected to continue through the weekend.

The National Park Service said Wednesday that various parts of the national park have accumulated about 15 feet of snow, which could potentially increase.

Pictures show little to no visibility and several feet of snow covering Yosemite, making it nearly impossible for visitors to walk or drive through.

The park was expected to open on March 1 after being closed in late February. 

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Snow blankets Yosemite National Park in California, United States on February 23, 2023, as winter storm alerted in California. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

"Park crews are working to restore critical services so visitors can safely return," Yosemite National Park's Twitter said on Wednesday. "There is no estimated date for reopening."

Yosemite also closed on February 5, 2019, due to similar winter conditions. The park's roads were unnavigable due to heavy snowfall.

The closure comes as Californians across the state struggle with the unusually snowy weather. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday amid widespread power outages affecting tens of thousands of residents.

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Snow blankets Yosemite National Park in California, United States on February 23, 2023 as winter storm alerted in California. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

According to PowerOutage.US, over 73,000 residents in California had no power on Thursday morning.

The counties included in the state of emergency are Amador, Kern, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Nevada, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sierra, Sonoma and Tulare counties. 

Yosemite was under a winter storm warning until 4 p.m. on Saturday, when it was downgraded to a winter storm watch. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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National Weather Service predicts that temperatures will stay below average on the West Coast for the next several days.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.