Old Man Winter gets even

COEUR d'ALENE - The snow fell relentlessly Monday, creating treacherous driving conditions and whiting out any lingering thoughts that this winter might be a wash when it comes to snowfall.

The Coeur d'Alene Police Department reported 16 weather-related vehicle crashes between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Coeur d'Alene climatologist Cliff Harris said the snow was coming down at a rate of an inch an hour for most of the afternoon. By 6 p.m., 6.3 inches had fallen.

"That broke the record of 6 inches even on Feb. 24 in 1955," Harris said.

Monday's snowfall came on top of 5.4 inches that fell Sunday. The 11.7 inches that came down over the two-day period set another record, Harris said.

"We had a real cakewalk, easy winter up until the 28th of January," Harris said.

Before Jan. 28, just 16.4 inches of snow had fallen for the entire winter of 2013-14.

The region's recorded snowfall amount for the season is now up to 55.5 inches, not far behind the normal snowfall amount of 61 inches.

February is shaking out to be a snowier-than-normal second month of the year. The average total snowfall in February is 11.9 inches, Harris said. This month, 27.7 inches have already fallen in the region.

"And we still have four days. We could still have some more," he said.

Harris expects daytime high temperatures to warm up to nearly 40 by mid-week, and then a weak weather system could deliver another inch or two of snow.

"Then we get cold again," he said, with highs in the low-to-mid-30s.