Maritimers were digging out on Easter morning after an early-spring storm pummeled much of the region with snow.

The storm began Saturday night and delivered as much as 31 centimetres of snow and wild winds to many areas of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick by Sunday morning.

Wind warnings remain in effect for parts of Nova Scotia and continue to delay ferry departures in Cape Breton.

"A fair amount of snow, upwards of 30 centimetres, fell in parts of central Nova Scotia and it's still going on in parts of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, moving north through the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It's quite significant with lots of wind," Carolyne Marshall, a spokesperson from Environment Canada, told CTV Atlantic.

Hundreds of travelers at Halifax's Stanfield airport were stranded after flights were cancelled and delayed because of poor visibility.

Forty incoming and outgoing flights were affected by the storm.

"It doesn't matter if it's Easter Sunday or Christmas or any day, it's just a big pain to be sitting here doing nothing. I have a little four-year-old girl at home waiting for us and we're stuck here," traveller David Behm said on Sunday.

Airport officials expect the flight backlog to be cleared by noon on Monday.

The aftermath

Several thousand power outages were reported on Sunday for Nova Scotia. Utility officials reassured customers that if power wasn't already restored, it would be within a short time.

Only minor power outages were reported in New Brunswick.

While it was inconvenient for some looking to spend Easter with family, snow removal officials said the conditions were ideal for a clean-up.

"With no frost in the ground we didn't have the ice problems underneath it (snow) that we traditionally have in February and March with the same type of storm," Gord Hayward, a spokesperson for Halifax Regional Municipality snow removal, told CTV Atlantic.

White-out conditions and slippery high-ways caused some Maritime churches to cancel Easter Sunday services.

Police across the region said there were a few fender-benders, but no serious accidents as most drivers stayed off the roads.

Weather warnings remained in effect Sunday in northern Nova Scotia, eastern New Brunswick, and throughout Prince Edward Island, with some areas expecting wind, rain, or another five to 10 cm of snow.

The storm was expected to head north through the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Sunday evening, bringing up to 30 cm of blowing snow and snow-squall conditions to western Newfoundland.