photo by: Mike Yoder

Maple leaves in South Park are illuminated by the autumn sun in this file photo from October 2014.

October has been a wet month for Lawrence, but typical fall weather should return this week, said Matt Wolters, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Topeka.

The Lawrence area received about 0.3 inches of precipitation on both Friday and Sunday, he said.

So far this month, Lawrence has received 6.65 inches of rain, well more than its average of 1.5 inches. But Lawrence is still 8 inches behind its annual precipitation average.

“It’s been a wet month for October,” Wolters said, “but when you look at the entire calendar year, you’re still quite a bit below normal in terms of rainfall.”

Although it rained most of Sunday, in the evening, the precipitation changed to snow. Wolters said snow in mid-October isn’t unheard of, but it is rare.

“The earliest we’ve had measurable snow is Oct. 9,” Wolters said, noting that late November and December is the usual time for the first snowfall in northeast Kansas. “It can happen this early. In fact, last year we had snow on Halloween.”

Although the temperatures on Monday likely won’t top the high 40s, Lawrence should return to fall temperatures in the 50s and 60s the rest of the week with plenty of sunshine.