Heavy rain throughout the morning led to wet roads and a number of crashes in the Wichita area and across Kansas on Monday.
Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner said in a post on social media that at least six vehicles slid off highways in the Salina area due to wet conditions and hydroplaning. He said wet roads reduce traction, and hydroplaning can happen in an instant if a driver is going too fast for the conditions.
Drivers are advised to slow down, leave extra space between vehicles and avoid any sudden movements or hard braking. The KHP is also reminding motorists that Kansas law requires headlights to be on when windshield wipers are set to low or high. This helps other drivers see you in the rain and reduces the risk of a crash.
Several accidents were reported on Kellogg and I-235 in Wichita during the early morning hours as rain continued to fall. Eisenhower National Airport had received close to an inch of rain by 8 a.m. and rainfall amounts were expected to be 1 to 3 inches across south central Kansas before the rain was to end late Monday.
The National Weather Service office in Wichita said the rain received Monday has brought the monthly total for November to 6.92 inches, breaking the old monthly precipitation record of 6.69 inches set back in 1909.
[ photo: KHP Trooper Ben Gardner ]
