The sun rises east of Lawrence in the Kaw River Valley around 7:30 a.m. Thursday. Despite recent warm weather, snow is expected Saturday.

Don’t let Thursday’s sunny skies and 60-degree temperatures fool you. It’s not quite time to pack up the coats, hats and gloves.

On Saturday morning, a nasty Arctic front is expected to thrust Lawrence back into winter, bringing anywhere from a trace to two inches of snow.

While the storm’s bull’s-eye will be farther south, 6News Chief Meteorologist Matt Elwell predicts Lawrence could see snow accumulation on grassy surfaces and rooftops.

He is calling for rain and thunderstorms this evening and then expects the moisture to turn into a mixture of rain, sleet and snow in Saturday’s pre-dawn hours.

The snow will fall hard and fast, Elwell said, but warm ground temperatures should keep it from accumulating on road surfaces.

By the afternoon, the bulk of the storm should be over. And spring will return once again with warmer weather, like the day we saw on Thursday, back by the middle of next week.