If it felt unseasonably warm Wednesday, that's because it was.

Coeur d'Alene climatologist Cliff Harris said it hit a record-high for Dec. 10 of 56 degrees, topping the previous record of 54 degrees in 1956 and well above the normal high of 36 degrees for this time of year. Winds clocked out at 35 mph, while nearly a quarter-inch of rain fell.

"Quite a day," Harris said.

Coeur d'Alene has seen 2.99 inches of rain so far in December, bringing the yearly total to 17.18 inches, above the record annual low rainfall of 15.79 in 1929.

"That's very healthy," Harris said. "We've come a long way."

As for snow, 6.9 inches fell in the first five days of December, but none since.

The warm weather hasn't been good for ski resorts.

Schweitzer reported 9 inches at the base Wednesday and only one of 10 lifts open.

Silver Mountain was closed, but had high hopes of opening for the weekend.

"As the week began with snow in the forecast, the system shifted into an atmospheric river bringing warm, wet weather to the region," it posted on its website. "Our team is closely monitoring the snowpack, and the mountain snowpack is holding together better than expected."

Lookout Pass was closed, with 15 inches of snow at the base and temperatures reaching 42 degrees. It was looking to reopen Friday.

"Skiing is kind of off the map right now," Harris said.

A river of moisture from Hawaii, what he called the "Pineapple Connection," brought the rain and warmth to the Northwest. Western Washington was hit particularly hard, with most rivers overflowing their banks and some towns seeing flooding, with streets and homes in standing water.

"We predicted this," Harris said. "But it's more severe than what we thought. We've had rain, but nothing like what they've had."

Harris said he expects it to continue to be warm and wet into next week, which is good for heating bills.

"I'd rather have this than 20 below," he said.

Harris expects temperatures to drop late next week, which could create conditions for snow to fall near and on Dec. 25.

"We still have a chance for a white Christmas," he said.