No joke: Schools across the Maritimes closed April 1 due to snow, freezing rain

New Brunswick saw icy, slushy conditions on Wednesday.

It’s not an April Fool’s joke – some schools are closed across the Maritimes Wednesday due to a messy mix of snow, freezing rain and rain.

Weather alerts

Freezing rain warnings, snowfall warnings and special weather statements across the Maritimes ended around 2 p.m.

CTV Atlantic meteorologist Kalin Mitchell says the risk of freezing rain will diminish in the afternoon.

Patchy freezing drizzle may be present for Prince Edward Island and eastern Nova Scotia into the evening.

Schools

Schools across P.E.I. and Cape Breton are closed.

Many schools in New Brunswick and mainland Nova Scotia are also closed or on a delayed opening.

A full list can be found here.

Other closures

All provincial civil service offices across P.E.I. opened late at 10:30 a.m.

Travel

Fredericton Transit said all routes would be delayed due to weather. A post on Facebook said all routes would be ready for the 8:15 a.m. departure from Kings Place.

T3 Transit on P.E.I. says rural transit buses may experience delays depending on road conditions, and traffic may be moving slower than usual.

Moncton-area crashes

Moncton Fire Department Chief Conrad Landry said crews responded to 15 motor vehicle crashes in a 24-hour stretch starting around 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Landry said that’s a lot more than a usual day.

“I would say the majority are weather related,” said Landry. “The number of calls that came in were a little higher as the weather was getting worse. It seemed like weather was a huge factor.”

Mitchell says parts of New Brunswick will need to watch for another mix of snow, ice pellets and freezing rain on Friday.

Landry said if motorists don’t have to be on the road in weather like that, they shouldn’t be.

“If you have to be, drive according to the conditions. Slow down. Give yourself more room between the next car and take your time. Plan ahead, leave early and things should go OK,” said Landry.

Power

At 6:30 p.m., there were fewer than 100 NB Power customers without electricity in New Brunswick.

At that time, there were three outages in Nova Scotia affecting fewer than five customers.