Snow... In Galveston?

"A typical 1895, residential snow scene, showing the impromptu horse-drawn sled" is written on the back of the photograph. Paul Naschke, photographer. G 1773 FF2 #10, Galveston Photographic Subject Files: Storms Snow and Ice. Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas.

By Casey Greene

When one thinks of Galveston weather, what typically comes to mind is sunny days on the beach; on a bad day, perhaps tropical storms … but snow? Yet snow and ice storms have indeed befallen the island, wreaking havoc with transportation, disrupting telephone and electrical service, freezing water pipes, giving children a day off from school, and providing the makings of snowmen and snowball fights.

Since 1871 − the earliest weather record-keeping for Galveston − a number of snowfalls have occurred. In fact, in the hundred years between 1900 and 1999, records show 39 years with snowfall − 11 years experienced measurable amounts, while another 28 years had “trace” amounts. The most significantly wintry years were 1886, when Galveston Bay froze, and 1895, when the island received a whopping snowfall of 15.4 inches. In 2004 Galveston experienced its first-ever white Christmas.

St. Mary's Cathedral covered in snow, February 1940. Joseph I. Maurer, photographer. G-1773 FF3 #1, Galveston Photographic Subject Files: Storms Snow and Ice. Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas.

The Galveston and Texas History Center's collections contain many images of snow in Galveston. Search the archives catalog to find more, or contact us for help anytime!