Lawrence and northeast Kansas can expect some normal temperatures this week after a two-week heat wave.

Kris Craven, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Topeka, said scattered showers are possible through Thursday but the best chance of rain will be Sunday night and Monday morning along the Interstate 70 corridor.

“The forecast is for a half inch to inch of rain, but there is a chance we’ll see more than that,” Craven said.

The rain will be welcome with the dry weather that has set in since June 1, Craven said. As of midnight Saturday, the official National Weather Service station at Lawrence Municipal Airport has recored 17.72 inches of rain in 2022. The normal to date is 20.98 inches.

“Since June 1, Lawrence has had 3.95 inches, which is 4.25 inches less than normal,” Craven said. “So it’s been quite a dry spell.”

Adding stress to area crops, pastures and lawns is the heat wave of the past two weeks that saw daytime highs climb to the upper 90s and triple digits. Craven said there will be a welcome relief as temperatures drop to slightly below or near normal highs starting Monday.

“We’ll see highs in the upper 80s or lower 90s throughout the week,” Craven said. “The normal daytime high for this time of year is about 91. We’ve had a hot spell, so it will be much closer to normal.”