photo by: Mike Yoder

A snowplow leads a line of cars along Highway 40 near the Lawrence Municipal Airport on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018 in blizzard conditions.

The leading edge of what a National Weather Service meteorologist called a short-duration blizzard hit Lawrence shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday.

Kevin Skow, meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Topeka, said a blizzard warning has been issued for the Lawrence area. Douglas County can expect 4 to 6 inches of snow before the system moves out by around 6 p.m. Sunday, he said. Sustained winds of 20 to 25 mph with gusts of more than 30 mph are likely to create near whiteout conditions and lead to drifting on roadways. Temperatures were expected to fall to the mid-20s in the afternoon and into the mid-teens overnight.

City of Lawrence, Douglas County and Kansas Department of Transportation crews are treating roadways. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is urging residents to stay off the roads unless travel is unavoidable. The storm has caused multiple accidents to the west and is starting to make travel hazardous in Douglas County, the sheriff’s office said.

Sgt. Mike Cobb of the Lawrence Police Department said he wasn’t aware of any weather-related accidents in Lawrence as of 12:30 p.m. Sunday, but he did advise residents not to drive.

Portions of I-70 west of Junction City were closed Sunday, according to KDOT.