Keep off the roads, P.E.I. officials warn amid freezing rain warning

Officials were warning P.E.I. drivers to be cautious amid a storm expected to bring freezing rain, rain and wind.

Environment Canada issued a freezing rain warning for P.E.I. Tuesday, with the storm expected to continue into the overnight hourswhen the precipitation will change to rain as temperatures rise above freezing.

The weather causeda number of cancellations to sporting events, classes and other get-togethers. Check P.E.I. Storm Centre for the latest information.

• Storm Centre: Get the latest closures, outages and travel information

CBC P.E.I. weatherman Boomer Gallant said there could be between half a centimetre and a centimetre of freezing rain accumulatingin the west of the province, with somefreezing rainalso expected forrest of the Island.

Rainy and windy

Once the freezing rain stops,Gallant said the forecast is calling for up to 25 mm of rain and winds reaching 70 km/h.

Darren Chaisson,P.E.I.'s director of highway maintenance, told CBC News at 6 p.m.that all of the province's salt and sand trucks are out on the roads.

He said secondary roads, where crews use sand only, were starting to get slippery.

He added thatroad conditions for the rest of the night will depend on the temperature. If the freezing rain continues for several more hours than expected, it will be hard for crews to keep ahead of it.

He advised that motoristsstay off the roads, not only for their own safety but to make it easier on the roadcrews.

Maritime Electric said Tuesday eveningit waspreparing for power outages.

The Confederation bridge issued a warning todrivers that there may be travel restrictions anytime between 8 p.m. Tuesday night and 6 p.m. Wednesday due to high winds.

Canadian Tire in Charlottetown said there was a rush on generators, batteries and salt as the storm approached.

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