Freezing drizzle that began Saturday afternoon in Lawrence will likely increase and continue before turning into snow as the sun comes up Sunday, according to a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Lawrence streets have become icy and multiple crashes have been reported. And several businesses, churches and public services have announced cancellations for this weekend. (We’re updating a list at this link.)
NWS meteorologist Nathan Griesemer said the liquid precipitation will transition into sleet overnight. Snow is not expected in Lawrence until between 6 and 9 a.m. Sunday, he said, and NWS now expects 5 to 8 inches to accumulate.
Update:
• Parts of K-10 closed as blizzard warning extended to Douglas County, Jan. 4, 2025
Douglas County is on the edge of an upgraded blizzard warning, according to NWS.
“Lawrence is kind of in that transition zone,” Griesemer said. “So, you know, it could be a pretty sharp cutoff between even North Lawrence and South Lawrence.”
Griesemer said one-tenth of an inch of ice is expected to accumulate on flat surfaces in town.
Crews with the Lawrence Municipal Services and Operations have been working to pretreat roads and sidewalks as well as elevated surfaces, including bridges.
Griesemer said folks should avoid driving through Sunday. Ready.gov recommends people keep emergency supply kits with jumper cables, blankets, ice scrapers and more in their vehicles if traveling.
“If at all possible, just try to stay off the roads while this is going on pretty much until and through tomorrow,” Griesemer said. “We’re really going to be getting our heaviest snow throughout the day tomorrow, so just try to stay off the roads and let the road crews do their jobs.”
A high of 28° and low of 19° was in the forecast for Saturday. The forecast for Sunday includes a high of 22° and low of 2°, and temperatures will continue to decline. Monday’s windchill is forecast at as low as -12°.
Additionally, east winds Saturday afternoon are at around 15 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph. Wind should pick up Sunday, with gusts reaching 40 mph. That’s grounds for blowing and drifting snow, which can disrupt the ability to see even more as snow falls. Visibility could be limited to one-quarter mile away or less at times.
Cold air will settle in for the rest of next week, but precipitation is forecast to stop after midnight Monday, and the rest of the week should be clear and dry.
Where to report power line issues
Winter storm weather can cause power lines to weigh down or fall. Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical shared information in a Facebook post about making reports.
The post says to call Evergy’s emergency line, 800-383-1183, if above-ground lines are arcing or making contact with trees or vegetation. “LDCFM is not equipped to address these types of incidents,” according to the post.
Call 911 immediately if overhead power lines are on the ground or a fire starts, the post says.
See links to more severe weather resources and information below.
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Severe weather resources
Get warm in Lawrence:
• See this page for locations to get warm during the day and overnight, where to get help for pets and more.
National Weather Service local office (Topeka):
• Find the latest weather forecast info and severe weather advisories for the Lawrence area at this link.
• In the event of rapidly changing severe weather, such as tornadoes, the NWS posts frequent updates on Twitter, @NWSTopeka. You do not need a Twitter account to see tweets from NWS.
• NWS is also on Facebook, facebook.com/NWSTopeka.
• Call 785-234-2592 to hear the forecast.
City of Lawrence snow info:
• The city has snow information and a map at lawrenceks.org/snow that shows information about road conditions and where snowplows have been. The city typically begins snow and ice control for residential roadways when 2 or more inches of snowfall or icing occurs.
Douglas County Emergency Management:
• Follow @DgCoEM on Twitter or Douglas County, KS- Emergency Management on Facebook, facebook.com/dgcoem.
• Sign up to receive emergency alerts at dgcoks.org/emalerts.
• Find lots of tips on severe weather and other emergency preparedness on DgCoEM’s website at douglascountyks.org/emergency-management.
• Report storm damage (for non-emergencies only, and after storm danger has passed) by calling the nonemergency dispatch line at 785-843-0250 or 785-832-7509.
Evergy outages:
• Check the status of power outages on the Evergy outage map, outagemap.evergy.com.
• Report a power outage at evergy.com/report-outage, or call 800-544-4857.
• For down powerlines, call Evergy’s emergency line, 800-383-1183, if above-ground lines are arcing or making contact with trees or vegetation. Call 911 immediately if overhead power lines are on the ground or a fire starts.
Air quality:
• Check the current air quality index in Lawrence and elsewhere through AirNow, airnow.gov.
Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Latest Lawrence news:
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
