photo by: National Weather Service

Douglas County and other parts of northeast Kansas are under a winter storm warning through 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, 2018.

A rainy Friday is expected to give way to a snowy Saturday in Lawrence.

The area will likely receive between 5 and 7 inches of snow beginning Friday night and lasting until early Saturday afternoon, said Bryan Baerg, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Topeka. The weather service issued a winter storm warning shortly after 8:30 p.m. Friday, and it will remain in effect through 6 p.m. Saturday.

Rain in Lawrence began Friday morning, with the area receiving about 0.2 inches of rain as of 4 p.m. NWS meteorologist John Woynick said Lawrence began receiving a mixture of rain and snow around that time. As of 9:20 p.m., Baerg said northeast Kansas had received about 2.5 inches of snow.

The weather service said the snow will last until early Saturday afternoon, but another round of snow is possible Saturday evening. The rest of the weekend will be dry with high temperatures in the mid-20s and low 30s.

The City of Lawrence will treat the roads as the winter weather ramps up, according to a news release.

“We want to stress to people to be safe when you travel,” Woynick said. “If you don’t need to travel, especially during the heavy snow, wait until it’s done.”

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