Storm continues on P.E.I. with strong winds and varied precipitation
'it's a good six to eight hours of harsh conditions'
P.E.I. is being hit with strong winds and plenty of snow and rain as a storm persists into Thursday evening.
Snowfall warnings are in effect for Kings, Queens, and Prince Counties.
- See a full list of cancellations on Storm Centre.
- Call in your cancellations to 1-877-236-9350.
For Prince County, Environment Canada is calling for up to 20 centimetres of snow at times heavy, ending overnight with winds gusting to 60 km/h and 80 km/h along parts of the coast.
For Queens and Kings County, less snow is expected due to more icy precipitation including freezing rain.
CBC Meteorologist Jay Scotland said in addition to messy or icy roads, poor visibility and local outages are also possible due to this evening's strong easterly winds with snow and ice on branches and lines.
Conditions will improve into Friday morning but blowing snow is still a concern for exposed areas with winds out of the Southwest from 30 to 60 km/h.
Power outages possible
Scotland said the precipitation is not the only concern.
Freezing rain already reported in central/eastern areas. Too early to say if this will affect my forecast amounts though (7-15 cm for Queens/Kings & 15-20+ cm for Prince). Strong east wind from 50-90 km/h combined with snow/ice will impact travel conditions this evening. Be safe! <a href="https://t.co/jetApmICXM">pic.twitter.com/jetApmICXM</a>
—@JayScotland
"Winds are really picking up across the Island," he said, adding local power outages are possible with the strong winds.
The high winds could also could push ice up onto shores and damage property.
"It's a good six to eight hours of harsh conditions," Scotland said, which he predicts will begin to improve after midnight.
Several flights were cancelled in and out of the Charlottetown Airport, and Maritime Bus cancelled some routes throughout Atlantic Canada. The Confederation Bridge has issued a wind warning advisory.
Provincial government offices, City of Charlottetown administrative offices, UPEI and Holland College all closed early for the day.
More from CBC P.E.I.
With files from Island Morning