photo by: National Weather Service

The National Weather Services expects freezing rain and snow to reach the Lawrence area New Years Eve and New Years Day.

As the New Year is ushered in this weekend, coming with it will be hazardous weather that may disrupt some celebration plans.

The Lawrence area is expected to see freezing rain just before the ball drops Friday evening and then possibly a significant accumulation of snow on Saturday.

Jenni Pittman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service station in Topeka, told the Journal-World Thursday that a winter storm system will move into the Lawrence area Friday night, with freezing rain beginning to fall around 11 p.m. and then turning into snow around dawn on Saturday morning.

With that weather coming in and residents expected to be celebrating the New Year that night, Pittman advised celebrants to take the weather into consideration while making plans.

“Anyone who’s traveling on New Year’s Eve into New Year’s Day needs to plan ahead and stay home if they can,” she said.

The travel concerns will continue into New Year’s Day on Saturday, as 2 to 4 inches of snow are forecast for the area. But there’s a possibility for even more, Pittman said.

Additionally, snow on the ground may still be hazardous to drivers as 20-25 mph winds coming from the north could create blowing snow.

“Especially on I-70, that’s going to be really hazardous with that cross wind,” Pittman said. “Even with light snow, once you get some wind going, your visibility drops very quickly.”

Pittman said the snow on Saturday will be the first accumulation of snow in the Lawrence area this winter. But after the weekend storm, Pittman said it appears the weather could warm back up in the area.

According to the weather service’s forecast, Lawrence is expected to have sunny weather on both Sunday and Monday, with highs of 27 and 44 degrees, respectively.