Lawrence will near 70s Wednesday before weekend of snow

Lawrence has one more day of unseasonably warm weather before colder weather begins to move in from the Rocky Mountains, forecasters said Tuesday night.

Wednesday’s high temperature in Lawrence is forecast to be 69 degrees, according to John Woynick of the National Weather Service in Topeka, nine degrees shy of the Jan. 28 record high of 78 degrees, set in 2013.

A high pressure system moving over the central plains is responsible for the rise in temperatures to start the week, Woynick said, but an arctic cold front will soon move through the area.

Wednesday night, temperatures will drop into the mid 30s, Woynick said. Lawrence’s high temperature for Thursday is forecast at 46 degrees, with an overnight low of 21.

Then, Friday will bring a 20 percent chance of “wintery precipitation,” Woynick said. With a high of 41 degrees and a low of 31 degrees in the forecast, light rain and snow may begin around midnight.

Lawrence will see a 60 percent chance of snow Saturday and Sunday, Woynick added, with some accumulation possible.

West along Interstate 70 on Tuesday, Woynick said, Russell recorded a record high temperature of 83 degrees, shattering the previous record high for Jan. 27, which was 65.

“We enjoyed warm weather Tuesday, and Wednesday we’ll have nice and mild temperatures, and then we’ll have that cool-off as the arctic cold moves in,” Woynick said. “It’s just a matter of how quickly that cold air comes in.”