photo by: National Weather Service

The Lawrence area could receive up to 3 inches of rain Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The rain is expected to start after midnight with the heaviest rainfall coming around midday Tuesday, said Matt Flanagan with the National Weather Service in Topeka. The rain is expected to be steady but shouldn’t be too severe, he said.

“The chances for thunderstorms, in general, are pretty low. Not much instability. It just looks to be moderate to heavy rain,” Flanagan said.

Temperatures during the storm will range between 50 degrees Tuesday morning to a high of 61 degrees in the afternoon. A high of 66 degrees is expected on Wednesday.

“It will be cool,” Flanagan said.

The rain is expected to last through Wednesday and taper off in the evening, By Thursday temperatures will climb back up to the 80s, Flanagan said.

A couple of Lawrence events have already been affected by the forecast. Free State High School has moved its Tuesday evening graduation ceremony to Thursday, and the Tuesday Lawrence Farmer’s Market canceled its weekly event at South Park.