Several schools in Moncton have been closed and some people are without power because of a spring snowstorm making its way across parts of the Maritimes.

Most of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island could get as much as 25 centimetres of snow before the storm moves out Tuesday morning, Environment Canada said.

At 10:20 p.m. AT on Monday, a snowfall warning was in effect for much of New Brunswick, with the exception of the Acadian Peninsula and the Fundy Coast, where a rain warning has been issued. The snowfall warning extended to the upper half of Nova Scotia and all of P.E.I.

What started out as rain quickly turned to wet snow early Monday. Forecasters are predicting ice pellets will be added to the mix. They say 10 to 15 centimetres of snow is expected overnight.

Early in the day, NB Power reported about 1,300 customers had lost power, mostly in the Moncton area, because of problems with high winds.

Later, another 7,000 customers in Riverview lost power around mid-afternoon, but service was expected to be restored within hours, NB Power said.

At 1 a.m. AT on Tuesday, the utility said about 1,200 customers were still without electricity, almost all of them in Moncton and Bouctouche.

Elsewhere, New Brunswick RCMP reported at 1:30 p.m. AT that eastbound lanes of the Trans-Canada Highway near Scoudouc had been closed due a jackknifed tractor-trailer.

The driver was reported to be uninjured as a result of the accident just east of Moncton.

Police throughout the region were urging drivers to stay off the road due to deteriorating conditions.

Anticipating transportation problems, schools were closed in the Moncton area as well as in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley and along the province's north shore.

A bus-driver-training course scheduled for Monday in School District 2, covering Moncton and the surrounding area, has been cancelled.

The fresh snow will likely push the cost of clearing roads above last year's total, according to Andrew Holland, a spokesman for the Department of Transportation

While there were three fewer storms in the province this winter, Holland said, there was a lot of blowing snow.

As well, flooding last spring and the freeze-thaw cycle has meant there are a lot more potholes to be repaired, he said.