A winter storm caused whiteout conditions across much of Prince Edward Island and parts of New Brunswick, and was expected to move across western Newfoundland on Sunday evening.

High winds and whiteout conditions were reported across most of Prince Edward Island.

Snowplows were ordered off the roads in P.E.I.'s Prince County as blowing snow made it nearly impossible for drivers to navigate safely.

Plow operators in Queens and Kings counties were also keeping an eye on the storm in case they, too, had to pull their vehicles off the road. Only the main roads in those counties were being plowed.

"It looks like we're not going to see much improvement until at least midnight tonight and throughout the early hours until tomorrow [Monday] morning," said Brian Ellis, a dispatcher for P.E.I.'s Department of Transportation.

Confederation Bridge was closed to traffic, and anyone attempting to drive in Prince Edward Island was being urged to use extreme caution.

The airport in Charlottetown remained open, with only a few delays and cancellations, but travellers were advised to call ahead to check on the status of their flights.

In New Brunswick, a stretch of Highway 2 that runs along the Tantramar Marsh was closed because of the storm. RCMP were asking drivers to stay off the roads everywhere in the province.

The Trans-Canada Highway from Sackville to Amherst was also closed until further notice, due to poor road conditions.

Winter weather in Nova Scotia was causing some difficulty for drivers.

Road conditions were particularly bad along Highways 101 and 103 outside of Halifax, which were described as snow-covered and passable with caution.

Officials warned that some parts of Highway 104 near Amherst may be difficult to navigate.

The storm was expected to move across western Newfoundland and Labrador late Sunday. The hardest-hit region will be southeastern Labrador, where up to 40 centimetres of snow are expected by Monday afternoon.

About 15 centimetres are predicted to fall on the Northern Peninsula.

With files from the Canadian Press