With only 0.83 of an inch of rainfall so far this month, precipitation for October in Lawrence is at about half the average amount, said National Weather Service meteorologist John Woynick.

The overall amount of precipitation since January is 18.96 inches, compared to the average 33.68 inches, a deficit of 14.72 inches. This year’s total is about 2 inches less than rainfall at the same time last year, which was 20.79 inches.

Woynick said extremely dry weather plagued northeast and central Kansas this year.

“Almost every county in Kansas at some point in time was having drought,” Woynick said. “In fact, we still are in much of the state.”

The dry weather is expected to continue this week as well.

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms is anticipated for Wednesday. However only a quarter inch of precipitation is expected.

“We might still have a few scattered thunderstorms but nothing that’s going to be a big producer of rainfall,” Woynick said.

Woynick said if the latest forecast from the Climate Prediction Center is correct, Lawrence residents should expect above-normal temperatures and near-normal levels of precipitation for the months of October, November and December.