The citizens of Yuma drop a head of iceberg lettuce from the town's water tower to symbolize the beginning of the new year, much like the ball drop in New York City's Times Square. This is known as the "Iceberg Drop."

In 1997, Yuma sustained a full tropical storm after Hurricane Nora made landfall at the mouth of the Colorado River and quickly moved due north along it. This rare event cut power to 12,000 customers in Yuma, and dropped 3.59 inches (91 mm) of rain at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. Prior to this, the last time a hurricane had hit near Yuma was in mid-August 1977, when similar falls were recorded.