Early spring snowstorm causes traffic snarls for Calgary commuters

Did you get caught in the traffic chaos on Highway 1 A Thursday morning?

An early spring snow storm surprised many drivers that were heading in and out of Cochrane late Thursday morning, as heavy, blowing snow and icy conditions made for a messy commute.

Several cars went off the road, with some even winding up in chain-reaction crashes which made for traffic backups.

Some drivers reported being trapped along parts of the highway for as long as an hour as they waited for emergency crews to clear the crashes.

WATCH: A sudden and unrelenting late blast of winter turned roads and highways turned into parking lots. A spring snowstorm whipped through our city. Jill Croteau reports.

1:33 April blizzard catches commuters by surprise

Thankfully, no one was injured during the worst of the wintry weather. Crews will continue to monitor the highway, plowing throughout the day to keep the roads clear and traffic moving.

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A slushy mix of rain and snow made for messy drives across many other parts of Alberta, with collisions and slow-moving traffic causing tie-ups on Highway 2.

A snowfall warning was issued for parts of Alberta Wednesday, as upwards of 15 to 20 centimetres of snow were expected in the Hinton and Whitecourt areas overnight Wednesday and into Thursday.

Ten to 15 centimetres were also forecast to fall in the Spruce Grove, Drayton Valley and Rocky Mountain House areas by Friday morning.

— With files from Global News’ Caley Ramsay