Many schools and universities are closed and dozens of flights in and out of Halifax’s airport are cancelled as a large winter storm begins to sweep across Nova Scotia.

The snowfall is expected to last into Tuesday, and could bring 30 centimetres or more to some parts of the province.

Public schools across mainland Nova Scotia are closed. Several post-secondary campuses, including at Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Community College (except Sydney, which remains open), are closed for the day.

Provincial government offices are also closed.

Public Works Minister Fred Tilley said in an interview Monday morning with the CBC’s Information Morning that the province has 400 pieces of snow-clearing equipment mobilized. He said crews in the western parts of the province were reporting blowing snow and poor visibility.

All of Nova Scotia is under either an Environment Canada snowfall or winter storm warning. Parts of New Brunswick and P.E.I. are also under snowfall warnings.

Parts of the United States and Eastern Canada have been battered by winter storms. In Toronto, as much as 60 centimetres of snow has fallen.

Jessica Kinney, a spokesperson for the Halifax International Airport Authority, noted the airport is part of a larger network, which means cancellations and delays in Halifax could also be caused by weather conditions in other cities.