photo by: Lawrence Police Department

A fire hydrant near Inverness Drive and 24th Place was struck late Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, spilling water into the street during a winter storm.

The roads got treacherous early as the weekend’s winter storm began to drift through the area.

By 9:30 p.m. Saturday, the Lawrence Police Department had reported four crashes involving injuries, 27 motorists in need of help and more than 40 non-injury calls, according to a post on social media. The department also urged extra caution around midnight Sunday after a vehicle struck a fire hydrant at a roundabout near Inverness Drive and 24th Place, spilling more water into the street.

According to the National Weather Service’s 9:45 a.m. weather update Sunday, Lawrence was included in an area of the state where 1 to 2 inches of snowfall per hour had been observed with expectations to continue for several more hours. The agency recommended staying off roads while crews worked to clear streets.