From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Dec. 12, 1972:

• A stubborn two-inch mixture of ice and solid snow was causing traffic problems in Lawrence as the area continued to struggle with the coldest winter weather in nearly five years. The overnight low was expected to drop to between 5 and 15 degrees as street maintenance crews attempted to improve driving conditions. Kansas University meteorologist Joe Eagleman said that the pattern of freezing rain that had been pelting Lawrence for several days was “very unusual,” explaining that freezing rain usually only happens about once per winter season in Lawrence and then only for a short time prior to a snow. The season was already a severe one, Eagleman added, and indications were that the wintry weather would continue.
• Lawrence postmaster Jack Harris reported today that local residents appeared to have been sending their Christmas packages and cards early this year, providing a steady flow of mail and reassuring postal workers that a later “rush” of outgoing mail might not be so heavy. However, the rate of incoming mail had been “disappointingly slow” so far, perhaps indicating that people in other areas were not mailing as early as Lawrence residents. “It could cause us some problems later,” Harris said.