Lawrence and northeastern Kansas could see 5 to 9 inches of snowfall Tuesday night into Wednesday afternoon.
The National Weather Service in Topeka has issued a winter storm warning effective from 9 p.m. Tuesday through 6 p.m. Wednesday.
In Lawrence, snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches Tuesday evening followed by 3 to 7 inches overnight are possible. The overnight low temperature is expected to dip to 21°, with wind gusts as high as 20 mph, according to NWS.
Wednesday’s high temperature won’t get much warmer than that, and overnight Wednesday into Thursday, the low in the forecast drops to 3°, with wind chill values between -5° and 0°. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
Roads will likely be slick and hazardous, and travel could be very difficult, according to NWS.
“If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency,” NWS advises. “… Persons should consider delaying all travel. Motorists should use extreme caution if travel is absolutely necessary.”
Thursday is expected to see sunshine and a high of 22°, and Friday will warm up a bit with a high of 40°, the forecast shows. There’s a chance of rain after midnight going into Saturday and a 70% chance of more snow on Saturday.
Road, sidewalk impacts
The City of Lawrence is pretreating roads and bridges to help minimize ice accumulation, according to a news release on Monday.
City snow plows start on priority roadways, then head to residential areas “when conditions allow,” according to the release. The city asks that folks park cars off the streets, if possible; otherwise, parking on one side of a street can help plows clear snow more easily.
The city’s website features a map that shows which roads workers have plowed and treated as storms progress. That’s available at this link.
Under city ordinances, it’s the property owner’s responsibility to remove snow and ice from sidewalks within 48 hours after the end of snowfall. “If ice cannot be removed, sand or another treatment must be applied,” according to the release.
A January blizzard dumped nearly a foot of snow on Lawrence, after which several community members raised concerns about accessibility issues from piles of snow blocking sidewalks and bus stops. People can make complaints about snow on sidewalks at this link.
KanDrive, an app and website from the Kansas Department of Transportation, has info on highway conditions statewide. KanDrive is available online at KanDrive.gov, and its app is available for download free on the App Store and Google Play.
Get out of the cold
The Lawrence Community Shelter, 3655 E. 25th St., is the primary place for people to seek shelter during extreme weather. If LCS hits capacity — around 140 people — the city is opening overflow shelters at local churches to ensure that everyone has a warm place to sleep.
An overflow emergency shelter at University Community of Christ, 1900 University Drive, will be available from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The city has generally evaluated the need for overflow shelter as storms progress.
People can call or text 785-760-1481 to confirm whether an overflow shelter is open and seek help. The winter shelter helpline can also be reached via email at wintershelter@lawrenceks.org.
City recreational facilities are available to warm up during the day; see their hours and a map at this link.
See links to the latest weather info, road conditions and more resources 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. Do not go near the line.
Highway conditions beyond Lawrence:
• KanDrive, an app and website from the Kansas Department of Transportation, has info on highway conditions statewide. KanDrive is available online at KanDrive.gov, and its app is available for download free on the App Store and Google Play.
Air quality:
• Check the current air quality index in Lawrence and elsewhere through AirNow, airnow.gov.
This post is by the Lawrence Times news team.
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