Schools across P.E.I. closed Friday due to messy weather and roads
Blowing snow advisory in effect for Prince County, wind warning in Kings County
All schools across Prince Edward Island were closed Friday due to messy weather conditions following yesterday's storm.
Island Montessori Academy also closed for the day.
Holland College's Summerside Waterfront Campus and West Prince Campus and Collège de l'Île's Wellington campus delayed opening but did resume operation by midmorning.
Provincial civil service offices in Kings County and the Service Canada Centres in Montague and Souris delayed opening as well.
A blowing snow advisory issued by Environment Canada remains in effect for Prince County and will continue into Saturday.
CBC meteorologist Tina Simpkin said winds will continue to be strong from the west, shifting to northwesterly throughout the day, with speeds of 50 km/h and gusts up to 80 km/h. Higher wind gusts are expected in Prince County, where the fluffier snow is more likely to be picked up by the wind, reducing visibility.
"With those northwesterly winds, it'll also pick up some moisture from the open waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and so we do have flurries in the forecast for today," Simpkin said.
A wind warning has also been issued for Kings County, with gusts of up to 90 km/h expected from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning. There is no alert in effect for Queens County.
Wind conditions have left traffic on the Confederation Bridge restricted to certain types of vehicles. The bridge is closed to cars towing trailers, as well as high-sided vehicles including trucks, tractor trailers, recreational vehicles and buses.
The restrictions were put in place at 6:22 a.m., and given the forecast, bridge officials believe those restrictions could last until 2 a.m. Saturday.
The plow dispatcher in Prince County said roads in the area are partly snow-covered with some blowing snow and slushy conditions, and visibility is poor in most areas.
In Kings County, roads are also partly ice-covered, and visibility is only fair. Queens County has some icy patches, but visibility is good.
With files from Island Morning