ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – School closures and flight cancellations are piling up in eastern Newfoundland as a major winter storm has moved in from the Grand Banks.

Environment Canada says up to 40 centimetres of snow will be whipped up by winds gusting across the Avalon Peninsula at 110 kilometres per hour.

Provincial government offices are closed, mail delivery has been suspended and municipal transit buses have been pulled from the roads in St. John’s.

Blowing snow and ice pellets are also in the forecast.

About 20 centimetres of snow is expected in Clarenville and Marystown, with lesser amounts falling across the western half of the island.

Meanwhile, a storm on Friday is expected to dump about 15 centres of snow on Cape Breton and Nova Scotia’s eastern mainland, but there are no watches or warnings in effect for the rest of the province, P-E-I or New Brunswick.

However, forecasters are warning that a big storm is expected to sweep across the region on Sunday.