Ice, snow and other kinds of freezing precipitation have begun falling in central Kansas as the area’s first winter storm of the year arrives.
Here’s an updated look at how winter weather is impacting the Sunflower State.
A thermometer showing freezing temperatures and falling snow.
Driving conditions causing slide-offs on I-70
At 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Trooper Ben Gardner, of the Kansas Highway Patrol, posted on his X account that there were already a “significant number of crashes” in the area, including Saline County.
According to the post, the most challenging conditions were along Interstate 70 in Ellsworth and Russell counties, where slide-offs, rollovers and other accidents had already happened.
“These incidents include passenger cars, semi-truck rollovers, and even a fire truck that rolled over — thankfully, the first responders are okay,” Gardner said.
In a video updating the public on the conditions a few minutes later, Gardner told his X followers that first-responders had already begun talking about closing the interstate.
“The load of calls that are coming in is significant,” he said. “There’s a lot of jackknifed semis, road blockages and challenges.”
Gardner also reference a multivehicle pileup crash east of Salina.
This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Central Kansas sees ice, snow and accidents. I-70 could be closed soon