photo by: Elvyn Jones

Falling snow on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019, provided added holiday spirit for Lawrence downtown Christmas shoppers but made streets hazardous with 25 accidents reported from 8 to 11 a.m. Sunday to the Lawrence Police Department. More snow is predicted for Monday, although it is not predicted to be as heavy as Sunday's snowfall.

Story updated at 3:53 p.m. Sunday:

Local law enforcement reported numerous vehicle accidents Sunday from the first of the snow that is predicted to continue through Monday evening.

Kevin Skow, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Topeka, said the office had received social media messages reporting from 3 to 4 inches of snow had accumulated as of 3 p.m. Sunday in Lawrence. He predicted 4 to 6 inches would accumulate before the snow ended late Sunday evening.

Another 1 or 2 inches could be expected from a second system making its way into Douglas County Monday morning and leaving the area Monday night. Lawrence could expect 5 to 8 total inches of snow, he said.

Patrick Compton, spokesman for the Lawrence Police Department, said Lawerence police officers worked 31 accidents from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, with 25 of those occurring before 11 a.m. There was only two minor injuries from the spate of accidents, he said.

Lawrence street conditions improved throughout the day Sunday, but motorists were urged to drive cautiously because there were slick spots and side streets were treacherous, Compton said.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office tweeted late Sunday morning that there were numerous accidents on county roads and that motorists needed to slow down, give themselves extra time to reach destinations and wear seat belts.

Skow said the Sunday snow was associated with the first of two systems that prompted the National Weather Service to issue a winter storm advisory through 8 p.m. Monday for Douglas County. Although snow was predicted to taper off Sunday evening, a second round of lighter snow was predicted Monday for the Lawrence area. The second round of snow was expected to start Monday morning, end in the evening and produce 1 to 2 inches of snow in Lawrence.

Some localized areas could see more than the forecast 6 to 8 inches from heavy bands of snow associated with the systems, Skow said.

The good news is that the NWS has removed the possibility the systems will bring freezing rain to Douglas County, Skow said. Blowing snow should not be a concern as winds are forecast to remain light, he said.

Temperatures will dip to the teens Monday morning and warm to the 30s in the afternoon, Skow said. There will be a warming trend with temperatures increasing to the 40s for the remainder of the week with no more moisture in the forecast, he said.