Goodyear says the tire tread depth is the greatest factor in minimizing the chances of hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning can occur when tires lose contact when driving on wet roads. Learn more on what it is, how it happens, and how tire tread depth can help reduce the chances of hydroplaning.
www.goodyear.com
If all things being equal, then yes. But tread pattern matters as much as the tread depth.
Water (rain) is incompressible unlike gas, so the water has to go somewhere else between the tire contact patch and the road. The reason tread depth is important is because it can help move the water out of the way from the contact patch; hence the tire on the road. That said, in terms of traction, it matters where that water goes. That's where the tread pattern comes in.
A better tread design will help move the water away from the tires path and help reduce head build up of water (think of moving your hand across the surface of the water, you'll see a small build up of water immediately in front of your moving hand). The water volume is being propagated in the front, which is exactly what happens to the tire when being driven.
So that's probably more than you wanted to know but tire design is nothing but constant tradeoff of how it performs in different conditions vs weather/temperature vs adhesion to the road vs wear life....
