People in Prince Edward Island are being asked by the province to stay home if possible today after a blizzard dumped a record 86.8 centimetres of snow at Charlottetown Airport on Sunday and Monday.

Check for cancellations on Storm Centre. Call in cancellations to 1-877-236-9350

The mainland was cut off from P.E.I. for more than a day and a half, as Confederation Bridge was closed at 4:50 p.m. Sunday and didn't reopen until 7:20 a.m. Tuesday.

General manager Michel LeChasseur told CBC News this may be the longest the bridge has been closed to all traffic since it opened in 1997. The bridge design means little snow actually accumulates on the structure, he said, but getting to the link was nearly impossible.

People in Prince Edward Island have a lot of digging out to do after a record snowfall. (Laura Meader/CBC)

"If the bridge is good but everything else is bad, then we'll just keep it closed until things are passable and you actually can get to the bridge safely," said LeChasseur.

LeChasseur said the peak wind gust on the bridge was 158 km/hr, recorded overnight Sunday.

Schools and government offices are shut down in an effort to keep the roads clear so the snow can be moved.

Charlottetown Airport had to close its terminal building for part of Monday because of the snow load on the roof. The airport is reporting all flights are on time Tuesday.

Maritime Electric reports 620 customers still don't have power. Repair crews were kept off the roads most of Monday due to blizzard conditions.

Many roads and side streets are still closed, and those that are open are snow covered and slippery.

Another storm coming

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement regarding another storm expected on Thursday, and is forecasting 10 to 15 centimetres of snow. Periods of snow are also forecast for Sunday.

"This one on Thursday is passing close enough that it will have an effect on P.E.I. and Nova Scotia, not so much on New Brunswick, just some flurries for New Brunswick," said CBC meteorologist Peter Coade.

"It looks like it could be a 10- to 15-centimetre snowfall. That will clear out Thursday night so that it's sunny on Friday and sunny on Saturday, and then another one on Sunday."

The latest snow hits are on top of what have been a stormy few weeks.

On Jan. 26, Environment Canada recorded no snow on the ground at Charlottetown Airport. Since that time, 258.6 centimetres have fallen and there has been little melting, with just two days where the temperature has crept above freezing.