INDIANAPOLIS - Snow bursts played a role in a pileup involving 40 vehicles on Interstate 70 southwest of Indianapolis on Thursday afternoon.

Very cold air rushing through Indiana, along with some residual moisture left in the area, caused heavy snow showers to develop during the afternoon.

The short-lived snow showers quickly coated roadways, and some sunshine between the snow showers may have created a false sense that roadways were fine.

"When you get these snow bursts … where visibility drops to a quarter-mile, you get a quick cover on the roadway," StormTeam 6 Chief Meteorologist Kevin Gregory said. "All of a sudden, you're in a situation where the road is very slick."

When the sun came out, it stirred up the atmosphere, causing more snow showers to flare up.

Motorists were urged to use caution, because the snow showers were arriving quickly.

"Somebody could be changing lanes, they could be putting on the brakes, and then it starts this chain reaction accident," Gregory said.