Lawrence has a slight risk for severe thunderstorms overnight Wednesday, accompanied by 1 to 2 inches of rain and possible hazardous weather such as hail.

The severe thunderstorms are most likely between 8 p.m. Wednesday and 4 a.m. Thursday.

Matt Wolters, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Topeka, said another round of thunderstorms could move through eastern Kansas late afternoon and early evening on Friday, April 3. 

“We can see another half to 1 inch of rain with that system as it moves out by Saturday morning,” Wolters said.

Hazardous weather conditions are possible overnight Wednesday, although there is not a warning currently in effect. Wolters said that if there is hazardous weather, there is a better probability for large hail and damaging winds. There’s a slimmer chance that conditions would be favorable for a tornado.

“The probabilities are relatively small, but considering that it could occur during the overnight hours, you know, most people are sleeping and not paying attention to the weather during that time of day,” Wolters said. “So we’re a little bit more concerned about the severe weather potential overnight tonight.”

Wolters encouraged folks to make sure they have multiple ways of receiving weather warnings or alerts so they can stay updated throughout the night. He said people should charge their cell phones and, if they have a weather radio, be sure there’s a battery in it.

The forecasted rain in the Lawrence area would bump up the year-to-date total of 5.11 inches in Lawrence as of Wednesday morning. The city saw some rain Tuesday night, coming in at 0.035 inches by the airport and 0.045 inches around Lecompton.

Lawrence’s year-to-date rain total is about .75 inches above what is typical for the area this time of year, Wolters said. He said some folks might think there’s a drought since there’s been record-breaking hot and dry stretches in between precipitation.

But the first few days of March were wet and rainy, Wolters said. “And so we have had periods of rainfall. It’s not quite as bad as what you might expect when you’re seeing record highs in the middle 90s.”

See a detailed forecast for the next few days at this link.

Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.

Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.

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