Snowfall blankets much of Maritimes, cancelling classes and delaying travel

HALIFAX – A winter storm system is expected to blanket much of Atlantic Canada with more than 15 centimetres of snow today, leading to school closures and some travel delays at the region’s airports.

Schools in most of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are closed or shutting down early, while all public schools in P-E-I are closing two hours early.

All public-school classes in the region’s largest city, Halifax, were dismissed around 11:30 a.m., while the Halifax Stanfield International Airport reported several departure delays for regional flights.

The Charlottetown Airport issued a travel advisory telling people to check the status of their flights before heading out, and ferry crossings are cancelled between North Sydney and Port of Basques.

Environment Canada forecasts the snow will taper to rain showers or flurries in many areas later today.

A warning was also issued for the island of Newfoundland, where up to 20 centimetres of snow buffeted by strong winds is expected to fall into Tuesday.