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. About 2:30 p.m. Sunday, the Lawrence Police Department posted on Facebook that officers had driven by many stalled cars on their way to calls. The department called road conditions “extremely hazardous” and implored residents to stay home.