RCMP in New Brunswick are warning motorists to drive carefully after responding to roughly 26 crashes across the province.

“The majority of the calls that we got started in the Woodstock area and then came and really condensed near Fredericton, Hampton, going down to St. Stephen,” says RCMP Cpl. Chantal Farrah.

Police say high winds and slippery roads contributed to the collisions as drivers were caught off guard by icy by the conditions. No fatalities were reported.

Freezing rain started early and moved west to east, prompting school boards throughout New Brunswick to cancel classes.

“There’s always a chance that when you make that decision, the weather might prove you wrong,” says David McTimoney, superintendent for the Anglophone West School District. “In today’s case, we made the right call.”

In Saint John, overnight gusts could reach 90 kilometres per hour.

Despite the rain and rising temperatures, emergency officials aren’t anticipating issues with the St. John River.

“Although there’s always a possibility that there could be some ice shifting, it’s certainly not going to be the type of event that causes ice to run in the river system,” says Greg McCallum of the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization.

Police are also warning motorists, especially those driving high-sided vehicles, in the Tantramar area near Sackville to use caution as high winds are also forecast for that area.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Andy Campbell