Inclement winter weather which started late Saturday morning ended late Sunday afternoon with in excess of a foot of snow across much of Kansas.
Freezing rain which started Saturday morning glazed roads, making them dangerously slick. There were numerous slide-offs, crashes, and other travel issues across the area several crashes involving multiple vehicles.
First responders at times were overwhelmed dealing with the number of crashes.
By noon Saturday the Salina Police Department enacted it “Emergency Accident Reporting Plan”. Due to hazardous driving conditions the number of motor vehicle accidents exceeded the department’s ability to respond in a timely manner.
Saline County Sheriff Deputies Saturday worked at least 16 reportable crashes on Saturday, with four people transported to hospitals to be treated for injuries. None of the injuries were thought to be life threatening.
Kansas Highway Patrol Troopers worked over a dozen injury crashes Saturday, including one in Ellsworth County where a fire truck with emergency lights and siren activated lost traction on a slick road, and overturned onto its roof. Neither of the two firefighters in the truck were seriously injured. There were at least three fatal crashes, two of which were weather related. At least 7 people died in the crashes.
By Sunday the freezing rain transitioned into heavy snow, dropping between 7 and 18 inches across the area. Road crews struggled to keep up, and eventually nearly every highway across Central and NE Kansas was closed, including Interstate 70 between Hays and the Missouri border. By midday Monday some roads were starting to open again.
The weather prompted numerous closings and cancellations across the area, virtually shutting down much of Kansas.
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Current Closings, Cancellations, Postponements
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