El Centro, California higher than normal precipitation, at times bringing heavy rain. The precipitation in the Winter months is predominantly rain showers from the occasional winter storms. At times these storms bring cold temperatures to El Centro and surrounding cities, and mountain snowfall to the nearby Mountains. Snow is almost totally unknown in the town, except for a powerful winter storm that covered the entire valley with 4 inches snow on December 12, 1934 and a very brief fall of sleet mixed with hail during a shower in December 1967. On average there are about 15 days that dip into the mid to
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