photo by: National Weather Service

A chart of temperature, wind and rainfall predictions through Friday.

Rainfall in Lawrence has totaled nearly 4 inches since Tuesday morning, and the rain is expected to last through the weekend with hot temperatures creating unpredictable conditions.

The National Weather Service in Topeka reported that 3.74 inches of rain had fallen in Lawrence between Tuesday morning and midday Wednesday. The heat made the atmosphere capable of holding more moisture, which could lead to more rain, said meteorologist Chelsea Picha with the NWS.

“We’re in a pattern right now where there are a lot of really subtle disturbances … for storms to develop. Those kinds of patterns tend to have lower predictability because every system depends on how things developed the day before,” Picha said.

Temperatures through Sunday are predicted to be in the upper 80s in the day and dropping to the lower 60s at night. The chance for severe storms is low, but Lawrence can expect additional heavy rainfall, Picha said. There is a 40% chance for rain through Friday, increasing to 60% overnight Friday through Saturday and tapering off Saturday night into Sunday.

In addition to the heat, there is not much wind to move any storms along, meaning the storms can just sit over an area, Picha said. Winds are expected to blow between 5 and 10 mph through the weekend.

“The pattern that we have, there’s not a lot of (wind) shear with it. That is what is making the rainfall more of a concern. You don’t get a lot of flow to actually make the storms move anywhere. So the greater moisture plus the storms being slower moving makes for more rainfall,” Picha said.