Wet and heavy snowfall made driving treacherous north of Toronto on Thursday morning and resulted in dozens of crashes.
As many as 25 vehicles were involved in six- or seven multi-car crashes on the stretch of Highway 400 between King Road and Highway 9.
"The snow came in fast and furious at about 10 o'clock this morning. In matter of minutes, we had snow-covered roads and poor visibility," Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Cam Woolley told CTV Toronto.
A number of tractor-trailers were also involved in the crashes. At one point, the highway was so slippery, some of the large trucks couldn't make it up the steep hill approaching King Road.
"There were a lot of cars spinning around," said one male driver, caught in the traffic tie-up.
"I was driving along and then I just lost control completely," said one woman.
Police closed all northbound lanes of the highway to clear the wreckage. The section was reopened before the noon hour.
A multi-vehicle collision at Steeles Avenue also closed the two left lanes of the northbound Highway 400, creating a significant backlog. The area was also reopened before the noon hour.
The OPP investigated more than 100 crashes between 10 a.m. and noon. No one was seriously hurt in the accidents, but Woolley said the mishaps could have been avoided.
"The cause was simply 'speed too fast for conditions,'" he said.
The wet snow and rain is expected to continue in sections of the Greater Toronto Area into the evening.
Police are warning drivers to be ready for rapidly changing conditions, to slow down and to leave a six-second delay between vehicles.
With a report from CTV Toronto's MairiAnna Bachynsky
