photo by: Shawn Valverde/Special to the Journal-World

A crowd cheers as the lights are lit in downtown Lawrence on Massachusetts Street on Friday, November 28, 2025.

A white Christmas is not in the forecast for northeastern Kansas this year, as record-breaking warm temperatures are anticipated during the holiday.

While no snow is disappointing for a lot of people, a social media post from the National Weather Service office in Topeka said that a white Christmas in northeast Kansas already doesn’t occur very often — only 15% to 20% of the time.

But the National Weather Service is projecting some unique weather for Christmas Day, and its social media said a high temperature of 60 degrees or greater on Christmas Day has only been recorded 12 times since records began in 1887.

For Lawrence, on Christmas Eve this Wednesday, patchy fog is expected in the morning and the weather will become partly sunny throughout the day with a high of 67 degrees and a low of 43. On Christmas Day, it will be partly sunny with a high of 70 degrees and a low of 47 degrees.

Shawn Byrne, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Topeka office, said that Lawrence had seen temperatures in the upper 60s on Christmas before, such as a high temperature of 68 in 1922. However, the historical weather data that the office keeps for Lawrence isn’t as complete as for some other cities in Kansas.

Two cities that have more thorough statistics are expected to set records, though: Topeka and Concordia. The current record high for Christmas Day in Topeka is 68 degrees, which was documented in 1922 and 2016, and it is anticipated to get as high as 74 degrees on Thursday. Concordia’s record high for Christmas Day was documented at 64 degrees in 1950 and 2016. It’s expected to reach a high around 68 degrees this year.

Following the holiday, Lawrence is expected to have a high of 67 degrees and a low of 45 degrees on Friday. And on the weekend, Saturday will be mostly sunny with a high near 64 degrees. A southwest wind of 5 to 10 miles per hour will become northwest in the afternoon with gusts that could get as high as 20 miles per hour. The low on Saturday will be around 27 degrees. On Sunday, temperatures will drop significantly with a high of 36 degrees and a low around 18.

Extra law enforcement presence

While there won’t be winter weather on the road, travelers should take note that more law enforcement officers will be out watching for impaired drivers. From Friday through Jan. 2, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Lawrence Police Department will be doing enhanced patrols as a part of the Taking Down DUI traffic enforcement campaign “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” Grant funds allow for extra law enforcement officers to help get impaired drivers off of roads and highways in the county.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 34 people die each day in the United States in alcohol-related crashes, which would average about one person every 42 minutes.

In a social media post, the Sheriff’s Office urged people to make sure they have a safe way to get home from holiday gatherings. It advised people to call a ride share or taxi if they’ve been drinking; to stop other people from driving home after drinking; and to contact law enforcement if they suspect an impaired driver is on the road.