photo by: National Weather Service

A map of the region depicts the probability of rain in Lawrence on Wednesday Nov. 27, 2024.

Thanksgiving Day in the Lawrence area is expected to be cold and sunny, but some light rain is expected the day before, and the first snow flurries of the season could arrive on the weekend.

Meteorologist Adam Jones with the National Weather Service in Topeka said light rain is expected to begin late in the morning on Wednesday, then to continue throughout the day and taper off in the evening. He said Lawrence can anticipate about a tenth of an inch of rain with highs in the mid-40s.

On Thanksgiving, temperatures are expected to be in the 30s, but the weather should be sunny, Jones said.

“As far as travel goes, not too bad,” he said.

On Friday, temperatures will remain in the 30s, and there will be a chance of flurries overnight and into Saturday morning. Jones said the chances of snow have been increasing with every new weather model; as of Tuesday afternoon, he said, there was a 30% chance that Lawrence would receive a “light dusting.”

“Our best shot at the first snow of the season is Saturday morning,” Jones said. He said that the likelihood of snow would increase the farther north you travel into Nebraska and northern Missouri.

Temperatures on Saturday and Sunday will be in the mid-30s with overnight temperatures dropping into the teens, but warmer weather is expected to return by the middle of next week with highs in the upper 40s, Jones said.