Where's the snow?

[Blizzard of 1888 postman], 1888, V1988.34.2; Carl H. Dahlstrom collection of Blizzard of 1888 photographs, V1988.034; Brooklyn Historical Society.

December is almost over, yet it hardly feels like winter has begun. Just last week, temperatures reached 60 degrees and I saw sandals and shorts on the subway. In December! According to the National Weather Service (NWS), New York City temperatures have reached record highs this month. For mid-December, the average temperature in the city was 52 degrees, which is 12.1 degrees above normal. NWS credits the October-like temperatures to the location of the Polar Vortex, which is close to the North Pole. It looks like warm weather is sticking around for a bit longer.

Personally, I love the predictability of the changing seasons in Brooklyn. While I don’t wish for a blizzard (like the one pictured above), I do yearn for a snow fall or two this winter. The photo of the week depicts a postman crossing Atlantic Avenue during the Blizzard of 1888. The blizzard occurred between March 11 and March 18, 1888 and is one of the most severe blizzards in U.S. history. The storm produced 22 inches of snow in the city, and 40 mph winds. The storm stopped all transportation in the city for days following the storm.

This photograph comes from the Carl H. Dahlstrom collection of Blizzard of 1888 photographs. This collection contains photographs taken by Dr. Levinson following the blizzard. The photographs document street scenes in the Boerum Hill and Downtown neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Come visit the library to view more photographs from this collection.

Interested in seeing more photos from BHS’s collection? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images. Interested in seeing even more historic Brooklyn images? Visit our Brooklyn Visual Heritage website here. To search BHS’s entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections visit BHS’s Othmer Library Wed-Sat, 1:00-5:00 p.m. library@brooklynhistory.org