Heading off to finals? Hang on to your books and papers — the Lawrence area will get some strong winds today, says Jennifer Schack, 6News meteorologist.

“It’ll be a breezy afternoon,” Schack said.

Latest forecast Weather radar

As the temperatures climb this morning, winds are expected to pick up, blowing in from the south at 10 to 20 mph, she said. By the afternoon, the winds should be fairly strong, with gusts up to 30 mph, she said. The National Weather Service is expecting gusts as high as 40 mph in the Lawrence area.

The southerly winds will help to bring in much warmer temperatures, with the high climbing to 80 degrees, Schack said. The average high temperature for this date is 77.

At 7:45 a.m., the temperature was 57, with southeast 9-mph wind. Skies will be partly cloudy most of the day. The temperature will hit the mid 70s by noon and will reach 80 by 4 p.m., Schack said.

Lawrence will stay dry today, but there’s a good chance for rain on Wednesday morning, then again on Wednesday afternoon and evening, she said.

Overnight, clouds will roll in from the north, bringing just under a 50 percent chance of showers by 7 a.m. Wednesday, Schack said. Wednesday’s morning low will be 60, she said. .

On Wednesday afternoon, the high will climb to 77 degrees, with southeast winds 10-15 mph. And there’s a 50 percent possibility of thunderstorms rolling in by 7 p.m. Wednesday, she said.

The rain will move out by Thursday morning, Schack said, with the low starting out at 58 under cloudy skies. Thursday’s high will be 80. The dry forecast will last through next Tuesday, she said.