It may still be fall, but it's starting to look a lot like winter across the Maritimes as Mother Nature dumps her first major snowfall across the region.

"The storm that moved in at dawn will move out overnight leaving anywhere from 10 to 20 centimetres of snow in its wake," says CTV Atlantic meteorologist Cindy Day.

"As much as 25 centimetres of snow is likely over central and northern Nova Scotia as well as inland areas of southern New Brunswick."

There are also snowfall warnings across central and eastern Prince Edward Island

Several school boards in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick shut down schools for the day due to heavy snow, which is making for dangerous roads across the region.

The snow started falling around 7 a.m. in New Brunswick and rush hour traffic in Saint John was reduced to a crawl this morning as motorists battled their way through snow-covered roads, and police are reporting numerous accidents all over the city.

Saint John Transit is also reporting it will pull its buses off city streets starting at 6 p.m.

Schools are closed in several school districts including the Greater Saint John area and St. Stephen. District 2 schools are closing early, along with District 18 schools in the Harvey and McAdams areas.

The province set to work clearing snow from the Saint John Harbour Bridge this morning, but so far a permanent winter maintenance plan has yet to be announced for the bridge.

Snow removal used to be handled by the now disbanded Harbour Bridge Authority, and now the province is trying to come up with a new plan for the bridge.

Today crews are using some of the equipment from the former Harbour Bridge Authority.

In Nova Scotia there are reports of multiple accidents on Highway 102 and more than 80 salt trucks are currently on Halifax-area roads. They began salting around 8 a.m. in preparation of the storm.

Police have issued a warning asking motorists to adjust their driving habits, after receiving reports of at least 35 collisions within a three-hour span across the Halifax Regional Municipality.

"Treacherous driving conditions have resulted in reports of vehicles being unable to negotiate steep or sharply curving roads," says Const. Brian Palmeter, spokesman for Halifax Regional Police. "Police have shut down a number of roads either to investigate a crash or due to road conditions. The closures are sporadic and temporary, and motorists may be diverted along alternate routes."

Another cause for accidents may be that some drivers have put off replacing their summer tires with winter ones, due to mild fall weather.

Many drivers are caught in the storm without winter tires and some tire shops are reporting they are booked up for the next two weeks.

"Those conditions are going to get worse before they get better, so if you're travelling on the roads today be very, very careful," says Day.

Halifax Metro Transit is warning its customers to expect delays and route changes in troublesome areas.

As for cancellations, they continue to pour in to the newsroom. Many malls and businesses, including the Halifax Shopping Centre, Mic Mac Mall and stores at Dartmouth Crossing, closed their doors Wednesday afternoon, along with government offices. Dozens of scheduled meetings and events have been cancelled across the region.

Many schools in western Nova Scotia decided to cancel school in anticipation of the weather, and the Chignecto-Central School Board decided to close two hours early. Schools in Cape Breton also closed early today.

However, schools in the Halifax Regional School Board remained open despite the weather.

Travelers flying out of Halifax are being warned to check the status of their flights at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. Many flights, both departing and arriving in Halifax, have been delayed or cancelled.

There are also several flight delays and cancellations at the Charlottetown Airport, but there are only minor delays at the Moncton International Airport.

"Coastal regions will see a rain-snow mix develop this afternoon with a complete changeover to rain along the South Shore," says Day. "By midday tomorrow the sun will be out, melting away any sign of this storm."