From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Oct. 2, 1986:

As if September’s drenching rains were not enough, October was beginning to follow the same pattern. Rain was continuing to fall in Lawrence and elsewhere in eastern Kansas, and more storms were forming in to the southeast, where rivers and streams were already swollen out of their banks. A flood watch was in effect and the problem of flooding was expected to become “very serious” with an additional 3 to 5 inches of rain possible in the next 24 hours. When asked when the sun would again shine in Lawrence, National Weather Service forecaster Bill Reilly gave the glum answer, “Who knows? We have cloud cover for hundreds of miles in all directions,” he went on. “For the next five days it doesn’t look any too hopeful.”