Central Kansas sees ice, snow and accidents. I-70 experiencing closures
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.
Shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday, the Kansas Department of Transportation closed westbound I-70 at mile marker 313, near the eastern Manhattan exit.
The closure was announced on the department's KanDrive website and app, which said the closure was due to "icy roads."
Around 6 p.m. KDOT announced on its North Central Kansas X account that the road was back open, however, there were still several ramps onto and off of the highway closed in Saline County and that roads were still icy into the evening.
"Give crews room as they work to treat roads," the post said. Motorists are advised to slow down, use caution and #DrivePrepared."
At 1:48 p.m. on Saturday, the National Weather Service in Wichita issued a Blizzard Warning for the area beginning at 3 a.m. Sunday, including Salina and Hutchinson.
In the warning, NWS said wind gusts as high at 50 mph could occur, meaning "widespread blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility" and could bring down tree branches.
The NWS said snow accumulation totals between 6 and 14 inches can be expected in some areas of the warning.
According to the warning, in addition to the blizzard conditions, accumulation of ice means that power outages and tree damage is likely.
As of the time of the issuance, the warning was set to expire at 6 p.m. Sunday.
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 story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Central Kansas sees ice, snow and accidents. I-70 seeing closures
