There is a chance of rain on Easter Sunday and into Monday for Lawrence and northeast Kansas, and warmer-than-normal temperatures and dry weather will set in next week, according to the National Weather Service’s office in Topeka.

Chad Omitt, meteorologist with the Weather Service, said temperatures in Lawrence should be in the mid- to upper 60s Sunday with a “modest” chance of rain developing in the afternoon through the nighttime hours.

“There’s a 40% chance of rain with rainfall amounts of a quarter- to half-inch if you’re lucky to get under a shower or thunderstorm,” he said. “That quarter- to half-inch might be the exception rather than the rule.”

Although much of Kansas to the south and west is experiencing dry conditions, Lawrence and northeast Kansas have had slightly more moisture than average this year, Omitt said. As of Saturday, the National Weather Service station at the Lawrence airport has recorded 5.73 inches of moisture, which is about 0.6 inches more than normal.

March was cooler than normal, with a mean temperature of 43 degrees, or 2 degrees cooler than normal, Omitt said. That cool weather will go away in the upcoming week, he said. Sunday and Monday, the highs are forecast to be in the low 70s, and temperatures will be in the 80s from Wednesday through Friday.

The next chance of rain is expected to develop over the coming weekend, but Omitt said it was too early to forecast what rainfall could be associated with that slow-moving front.