photo by: City of Lawrence

Rain falls on Sixth Street west of Maine Street in this traffic camera image from 12:22 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, 2019.

After last spring’s drought, the recent rain around Lawrence has been a welcome sight for many, although the precipitation comes with a risk of flash flooding.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, 2.37 inches of rain had fallen in Lawrence since the system moved in Sunday evening, according to Sarah Teefey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Topeka.

Because of the rainfall, Douglas County is in a flood watch until 7 p.m. Wednesday. Any low-lying areas around the county could experience flooding as creeks and streams rise and ditches fill with water, National Weather Service meteorologist John Woynick said.

“This can cause concern for motorists,” Woynick said. “If you are encountering flowing water over the road, don’t drive into it. While it might not look like a lot of water, the road could be washed out underneath. That’s why we say turn around, don’t drown.”

There is a 90% chance of rain and some severe thunderstorms, with the threat of large hail and damaging winds through Wednesday. Any threat of a tornado would be further south of Lawrence, Woynick said.

By Thursday the chance for rain should drop to 20%, with sunshine returning Friday and Saturday during the day. Chances for rain are in the forecast for Saturday night and Sunday.

“We’re catching up with the additional rainfall, which is wiping out the deficit,” Woynick said. “As the month ends (Tuesday night), the rainfall tally I would suspect will be right near normal for the month.”

Including Tuesday’s rainfall totals, Lawrence has received 10.13 inches of precipitation so far in 2019, according to the National Weather Service. The normal year-to-date average is 8.70 inches.