A flash-freeze warning has been issued for all of Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and southern New Brunswick with temperatures expected to drop dramatically overnight Friday.

An extreme cold warning has also been issued for the evening and well into Saturday morning across New Brunswick. Temperatures are expected to feel like -35 in parts of northern New Brunswick with a -30 wind chill forecasted for the evening and early morning.

A combination of rain, snow and wind caused several closures and cancellations throughout the day in sections of New Brunswick. Schools in the southern part of the province were closed in the morning with rain pounding the area.

In Fredericton,schools were closed at lunch hour and students were sent home early. Many parents say they were left scrambling to make arrangements for their children to get home safely.

“I'd rather not be on the roads at all,” said one parent. “If it's going to be like this, if they keep the kids home and be safer for everybody instead of travelling out today, because there's a lot of fender-benders coming around.”

Roads were slick with snow and rain as temperatures rapidly dropped by the early afternoon, creating hazardous driving conditions.

Snowfall warnings, with total amounts of about 15 centimetres expected, were posted for central and western New Brunswick earlier in the day, but have since been lifted.

Officials are warning drivers to slow down and drive with caution as temperatures continue to lower.

“Tonight everything is going to be freeing over, so we want to make sure people drive carefully,” said Danielle Elliot of New Brunswick EMO. “If at all possible just avoid going out and just stay off the roads.”

A heavy rainfall warning is also up for parts of Nova Scotia, with the weather agency saying they could see up to 40 millimetresof rainbefore the storm moves out.

Conditions continue to change rapidly in Halifax. Drivers were at a slow during the Friday afternoon commute as Transportation and Public Works departments prepared for the evening to come.

City crews spread salt on the roads, while some businesses closed early so employees could commute home ahead of the extreme cold.

The Public Gardens on Spring Garden Road has been closed until Saturday.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Alyse Hand, Nick Moore, Heather Butts and the Canadian Press.