Lemoore (US), Apr 26 (AP) Park officials are temporarily closing much of the famed Yosemite Valley due to a forecast of flooding as rising temperatures are expected to melt the massive snowpack accumulated in California's mountains from a series of winter storms.

Yosemite National Park announced Tuesday on social media that most of the valley will close starting late Friday and stay closed at least until May 3. Reservations for campgrounds and lodging in the eastern Yosemite Valley will automatically be cancelled and refunded.

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Other areas including western Yosemite Valley will remain open, officials said.

California's state climatologist Michael Anderson warned this week that rising temperatures will speed up the snowmelt and double the amount of water flowing into some of the state's reservoirs.

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Water managers will determine whether they need to release more water from reservoirs but residential communities are not expected to see immediate flooding due to the warming trend, he said. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)