HALIFAX - Schools across much of Atlantic Canada are closed today and travel has been disrupted as a winter storm blows through the region.

Environment Canada says up to 50 centimetres of snow were expected in some areas of New Brunswick.

In Prince Edward Island and parts of northern Nova Scotia, winds were forecast to gust up to 90 kilometres an hour.

Meanwhile, winter storm warnings were in effect for much of Newfoundland, where up to 25 centimetres of snow were expected.

The island was also expected to be blasted with high winds of up to 110 kilometres an hour, causing near-zero visibility in blowing snow.

The national weather forecaster warned that local snow squalls and blowing snow would likely persist into Tuesday.