Snow, rain could be on the way this weekend

More snow plus rain could be on the way this weekend, says CBC meteorologist Peter Coade.

A disturbance will first bring snow, quickly changing to rain, to P.E.I. Saturday evening into Sunday morning.

Temperatures will be rising to above the melting point Saturday then back to colder than the norm for Sunday, says Coade.

Coade suggests Islanders consider cleaning off their roofs ahead of the weekend's weather.

"It's a good idea. We've had some roof collapses in the region of Halifax yesterday," said Coade.

A barn collapse also occurred in P.E.I. recently. A cave-in crushed Rowing P.E.I.'s fleet of boats and the group's new boat trailer over the weekend.

• Check for cancellations on Storm Centre. Call your cancellations in to 1-877-236-9350.

Winter storm warnings have ended for P.E.I., and snowplows are back on the roads, but with many roads blocked with heavy snow, dispatchers say progress will be slow.

"The boys are working on them hard now, trying to get them all opened and it will take awhile. It will likely take most of the day and the evening to get most of them or all of them open," said Jimmy Rhynes, Queens County operations supervisor.

"But we are certainly going to give it our best shot and hopefully we'll have them all open by tonight. A least the people will be able to get through."

RCMP are reminding drivers to use caution. Even roads that are plowed can be snow covered and slippery.

Plows were off the roads from midnight until 7 a.m. in Kings County due to whiteout conditions.

Most of the snow from this storm fell on Wednesday. A total 23 centimetres was recorded at the Charlottetown Airport. Blowing snow is the main concern Thursday.

Confederation Bridge reopened

RCMP say there have been no major incidents on the highways, but are chalking that up to people staying off the roads. They are asking people not to travel until conditions improve.

The Confederation Bridge, which had been closed to all traffic since 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, reopened just before 10 a.m. Thursday.

Schools are already closed for March break. Holland College's Prince of Wales Campus and the Tourism and Culinary Centre are opening at 12:30 p.m. The college's other centres are closed.

The University of Prince Edward Island will open at 1:00 p.m.

Provincial offices in Charlottetown and Prince County will open at noon. Those in Queens (except Charlottetown) and Kings Counties will remain closed for the day.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is cancelling patient appointments for non-essential services including ambulatory care services and scheduled elective surgeries. The P.E.I. Cancer Treatment Centre is also cancelling appointments.

Islanders with life- or limb-threatening conditions should call 911. For non-emergency needs and medical advice call 811.

Health PEI suggests calling ahead to hospitals, clinics and other health-care services before heading out to appointments.