Freezing rain air at the surface within the region of high pressure. The warm air from the Gulf of Mexico is often the fuel for freezing precipitation. Freezing rain develops when falling snow encounters a layer of warm air aloft, typically around the 800 mbar (800 hPa) level, causing the snow to melt and become rain. As the rain continues to fall, it passes through a layer of subfreezing air just above the surface and cools to a temperature below freezing (). If this layer of subfreezing air is sufficiently deep, the raindrops may have time to freeze into ice pellets (sleet)
Snow dance in a row. All of these superstitions are to help influence the temperature to drop and for snow to fall. The Snow Dance, which is meant to summon snow, contrasts the Native American tradition of ushering in rain through what is called the rain dance. Although the Snow Dance is typically performed to invite a type of weather appreciated mainly for its beauty and the fun to be had in it, the success and failure of the rain dance is a matter of survival. Due to prolonged periods of drought in the southwestern United States, the tradition formed as an