Many schools closed Friday as freezing rain, ice and snow cover N.S.

A nasty winter storm is bringing significant snowfall, ice pellets, freezing rain and rain to the province today and into Saturday morning. 

There will be a very tight gradient between the areas that see heavy snow, those that see a mixture of snow, ice pellets and freezing rain and then those that see significant freezing. A slight shift in track would alter these boundaries.

The weather has forced some schools to cancel classes including:

For a full list of closures visit CBC Storm Centre

CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon said the heaviest snowfall is expected for Colchester and Cumberland counties where it will mix with lots of ice pellets with totals between 15-30 centimetres.

Much of Annapolis Valley through Hants County to Truro, across the Northumberland Shore and into northern Cape Breton will likely see some snow, but lots of ice pellets and periods of extended and significant freezing rain, said Snoddon.

Further south, from Digby County to Halifax to Sydney, heavy rainfall and significant freezing rain is on the way.

He said with 12 to 18 hours of icing — possibly 24 hours in some areas — significant ice buildup is likely through Friday night.

"This extended period of freezing rain will lead to ice building up on surfaces like roads, sidewalks, trees and power lines. The risk of power outages is high, so make sure your emergency kits, including batteries and flashlights are ready to go," said Snoddon.

Temperatures began falling in northern Nova Scotia Friday morning with rain changing over the a mix of snow, ice pellets and freezing rain. Snoddon said the freezing temperatures will continue to push southward toward the Atlantic Coast changing rain to freezing rain. 

In Yarmouth, Shelburne and Queens counties, temperatures should stay warm enough to remain as rain Friday but that will change to freezing rain later Friday night. Local amounts could reach 75-100 millimetres for those areas.

The rest of the counties along the Atlantic coast from Lunenburg, though Halifax and down the Eastern Shore will remain near the freezing mark on Friday but ice buildup is likely, even if the temperatures rise above zero, said Snoddon. 

As we move into Friday evening it's more of the same, however, dropping temperatures will push the freezing rain threat into southwestern Nova Scotia. The risk of power outages will continue to rise as the ice continues to build up in areas seeing the most significant freezing rain. 

Friday night into Saturday morning, it appears we'll finally see our system begin to shift and the icy mess begin to change back over to flurries from north to south, with flurries gradually clearing from west to east through the afternoon and evening.  Stay tuned for updates on CBC Radio, TV and online for updates as this storm tracks through.