Post last updated at 4:44 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23:
The Lawrence Public Library will be closed Saturday, Jan. 24 as heavy snow is in the forecast for the area and most of the state.
Meteorologists with the National Weather Service’s Topeka office say a winter storm will hit Lawrence in full force Friday evening, bringing 5 to 7 inches of snow and frigid temperatures with it.
The area is under a winter storm warning in effect from 6 p.m. Friday through 6 p.m. Sunday.
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There is also a cold weather advisory in effect from 6 p.m. Friday through noon Monday.
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“The dangerously cold wind chills as low as 20 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes,” according to NWS.
Though the library building will be closed Saturday, the digital library is open 24/7.
“We’ll keep an eye on the news about Sunday, so stay tuned for more info if the weather is really bad,” the library wrote in an email to patrons.
Find a complete weather update, plus info on where to find shelter, how city streets will be treated and more in this article.
More closures and service changes:
• The Community Building, East Lawrence Recreation Center, Sports Pavilion Lawrence, Holcom Park Recreation Center, Prairie Park Nature Center and Indoor Aquatic Center will be closed Saturday.
• Lawrence Transit announced various service cancellations for the weekend; see details in this article.
• Watkins Museum of History will be closed Saturday.
• KU libraries will be closed Saturday, and Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center will delay opening until noon Saturday and remain open until 5 p.m.
• KU’s Natural History Museum and the Spencer Museum of Art will be closed Saturday and Sunday.
• KU’s Edwards Campus will be closed Saturday; all classes and events are canceled.
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Severe weather resources
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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Lawrence Public Library to close amid winter weather, plus other area closures and cancellations
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
