Deep freeze
BILL BULEY | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 1 month AGO
Climatologist Cliff Harris and Clark’s Diamond Jewelers owner Jane Clark go over snow measurement totals in 2020.(LOREN BENOIT/Press file)
Bill Buley covers the city of Coeur d'Alene for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He has worked here since January 2020, after spending seven years on Kauai as editor-in-chief of The Garden Island newspaper. He enjoys running. | December 22, 2022 1:06 AM
COEUR d’ALENE — Bundle up.
Climatologist Cliff Harris said it could be 10 degrees below zero today, and as much as 20 below with the windchill factor.
The high might be 3 or 4 degrees.
And this is only day two of winter.
“This is probably the worst cold we’re going to see in the whole winter,” Harris said Wednesday.
Harris said this fall, between Sept. 21 to Dec. 20, was the coldest on record, with an average temperature of 35 degrees.
The previous lowest average fall temperature was 37 in 1935, 9 degrees under the average of 44 degrees.
“There’s no other year it was under 40,” Harris said.
The area has gone a record 45 straight days without even hitting 40 degrees.
“I can’t find any year we’ve got this long without one warm day,” Harris said.
It was also the second-snowiest fall on record, with 41.8 inches, second to 46.4 inches in 2010. Harris noted it only snowed 28 inches the rest of that winter.
“In a way, we’re hoping that’s the case this year,” he said.
Harris expects snow and rain on Christmas, and is calling for warmer days next week, with highs in the 40s and perhaps even reaching 50 degrees.
“That’s our January thaw in December,” he said.
That will melt much of the snow that’s been out for there for weeks and create a huge mess in streets and yards.
“It’s going to be miserable,” Harris said.
ARTICLES BY BILL BULEY
Coeur d'Alene fire department damages historic home before preservation committee review
Older home inadvertently used for fire department training before Historic Preservation Commission review
“Unfortunately, the property owner granted permission to the Fire Department to conduct their training activities prior to the review and even though the demolition permit had not been issued,” a fire department press release said. “The Fire Department was not aware of the demolition review meeting scheduled for the subject property.”
Police eye designs for new building
Captain says operations have been maintained since last year's fire
The new police building will have a sprinkler system, which its predecessor did not because when it was acquired in 2016, it wasn't required that it have a sprinkler system as it was predominately used for storage.
Corridor traffic project bumped up
Mild weather allows work to begin on Government Way
The project includes upgrading traffic signal components at 10 intersections, bringing pedestrian ramps into ADA compliance, and providing coordination between signals to improve traffic flow.