Here’s the good news — the Lawrence area will miss the heavy snow from the winter storm that’s hitting the Great Plains.

But area residents can expect a cold rain throughout the day, according to Matt Sayers, 6News meteorologist.

Latest forecast

“The heaviest rains will last through the late morning hours,” Sayers said.” When it’s all said and done, we’ll have anywhere from a quarter to a half an inch.”

The rain will push off to the east through the afternoon hours, but the Lawrence area will remain cloudy and damp.

Today’s temperature is expected to hover into the middle 40s. Northerly breezes will send temperatures dropping off to 29 for the overnight low.

“Tuesday, by midday, we’ll see plenty of sunshine. But then, toward the afternoon hours, we’ll see partly cloudy skies with a 20 percent chance of some rain,” he said.

Tuesday’s high will be 55, with the overnight low dropping to 33 by Wednesday morning.

“St. Patrick’s Day (Wednesday) will be mostly sunny, with temperatures near normal, topping out at 59 in the afternoon,” he said.