The threat of severe weather for the first time this year caused Douglas County and eastern Kansas to be placed under a tornado watch early Wednesday afternoon.

The watch was issued at 12:30 p.m. but was canceled at 3 p.m. when the threat had passed. It remained in effect for extreme eastern Kansas, including Leavenworth County, as well as some counties in Missouri.

It is not unusual for tornado watches to be issued for this part of Kansas this early in the year, 6News meteorologist Matt Sayers said.

The temperature had climbed to 78 degrees by 5 p.m. at Lawrence Municipal Airport. Today’s high should be in the mid-50s, weather forecasters said.