KALAMAZOO, MI --

Police were inundated with slideoffs, crashes and multi-car pileups on Southwest Michigan roads over the past two months and the unrelenting snow and bitter cold.

Police agencies within the Michigan State Police's Fifth District handled 3,907 traffic crashes -- an average of 63 a day -- in January, up 30 percent from the 2,982 recorded in January 2013, according to crash data collected by MSP. The district takes in Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties.

Across the Fifth District, state police handled 891 crashes in January, up 28 percent from the 695 in 2013.

The 310 crashes handled by the troopers at the Paw Paw Post in December and January, meanwhile, are a 56 percent increase from the 198 crashes recorded during those two months a year ago, according to Lt. Dale Hinz. Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties, which are covered by that post, have been hit particularly hard, according to state police.

"It's been an unusual winter to say the least," said Hinz, the post commander. "The long-term icy roadway conditions have caused us to be relentlessly inundated with crashes."

The rash of accidents has been a strain on police resources. State Police posts have had to dip deep into overtime budgets and troopers have had to call on neighboring posts during major accidents, according to Capt. Michael Brown of the Fifth District.

"It's been pretty challenging with the sustained weather," Brown said. "We have had a lot of significant accidents, but everyone has done an excellent job."

Police say frigid wind chills have made it difficult for troopers to clear crash scenes and conduct investigations. "It's tough for anyone to be out there in those bone-chilling temperatures," Hinz said.

While many of the accidents have been minor slideoffs, some have been serious crashes.

Eastbound I-94 near Hartford in Van Buren County was shut down for more than six hours Jan. 27 after a

. Several people suffered minor injuries and one person was critically injured.

That same day, there was a

, due to icy roadways and blowing snow.

On Jan. 28, a Van Buren County deputy was

near Mattawan. While the deputy was in his patrol car, the driver of another vehicle lost control on the icy roadway and struck the driver's side of the police cruiser.

State police typically respond to accidents on interstates and state trunklines. Hinz said many of the crashes are caused by motorists driving too fast for the conditions.

"Sometimes the sun comes out and people get in the mindset that the roads are clear," the Paw Paw Post commander said. "But the roads are still icy due to the low temperatures."

In addition to the western edge of Van Buren County, which has hit hard by snow, the stretch of I-94 between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek has been a hotspot for crashes.

"It's a narrow freeway there, and it's shaded by trees," Hinz said. "That can make for some icy roadway conditions."

Aaron Mueller is a public safety reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Contact him at

or 269-568-3867. Follow him on

.