From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Dec. 20, 1989:

“Arctic winds plot assault on region” was the scary headline on today’s front page. “Painfully cold temperatures and gusty north winds” were expected to invade Lawrence in the next 24 hours. According to the Kansas University Weather Service, tonight’s low temperature was expected to drop to 5 degrees below zero, with 30-mile-per-hour gusts from the north producing wind chills as cold as 40 below zero. Tomorrow’s high was not expected to rise above zero and the following night’s low was predicted to plunge to an actual 15 degrees below zero. No additional snow was in the forecast, but the area already had about five inches on the ground, for which local wheat farmers were very thankful. Jack Lindquist, Douglas County agriculture extension agent, said this morning that winter wheat would be killed by the extreme temperatures if not for the protective blanket of snow.