FREDERICTON -- An early blast of winter has left thousands of New Brunswickers without power and students with their first snow day of the school year.

NB Power reported more than 12,000 homes and businesses were in the dark at one point today, with the majority of outages in the Woodstock area.

The Crown-owned utility tweeted that it is still assessing the damage from the weekend storm that saw many areas blanketed in snow.

Environment Canada says the highest reported snowfall amount was 38 centimetres in Robertville, about 20 minutes north of Bathurst, which received 28 centimetres.

A number of communities, including Bedell, Perth-Andover and Saint-Quentin, reported 30 centimetres, while 12 centimetres was reported in Fredericton.

The intense, low-pressure system also prompted temporary wind warnings across Prince Edward Island as it tracked across the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Forecaster Tracey Talbot says conditions have since improved and the worst is over.