Native American dance to bring snow to Tahoe region.

A welcome winter storm is in the forecast this week for the Lake Tahoe and Sierra Nevada region. The storm could signal a change in an extremely dry weather pattern that has plagued the area since early December.

Call it good timing or truly a blessing from the spirits, but either way the predicted snow comes following an elaborate Native American snow dance performed Sunday at Lake Tahoe's Sugar Pine Point California State Park on the lake's West Shore. It was part of the official closing ceremonies of North Lake Tahoe's Olympic Heritage Week.

A ritual known as the "Round Dance" was held by Paiute, Shoshone, and Washoe tribal relatives of the dancers who performed at the 1960 Olympic Winter Games. During this dance, members of the public are invited to hold hands as part of the ceremony. Representatives say every dance step taken is a prayer to honor their ancestors.

In a similar situation just over 50 years ago, an absence of January snow in the Sierra posed similar planning concerns for the organizers of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games' Nordic events, which were to be held on Lake Tahoe's West Shore. The nervous organizers of those original Olympics brought in Great Basin dancers to encourage snowfall.

Olympic Heritage Week is an annual event in North Lake Tahoe that celebrates the cross-country events (held on the West Shore) during the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. The week's events included appearances by past Olympians, full moon hikes, dinners and fundraisers, as well as the opportunity to take part in guided cross-country skiing adventures along the recently restored Olympic trails.

Current satellite imagery fro the west: LINK