Texas, Louisiana get a couple inches of snow – and cities are shutting down

It’s a common sight for most Canadians, but for residents in the southern United States, waking up to an inch of snow in December is coming as quite a shock.

Rare snowfall has hits parts of Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia — causing many crashes along slick roadways and prompting dozens of school closures.

In Austin, Texas, the temperatures dropped to -3 C Friday morning, killing crops and other sensitive vegetation.

WATCH: Alamo covered in snow leads to flurry of tourists taking selfies

1:00 Alamo covered in snow leads to flurry of tourists taking selfies

San Antonio, Texas, received about two inches of snow, the largest amount to fall in that city since January 1987 when 1.3 inches was recorded. At the famous Texas tourist attraction, the Alamo, a Santa Claus greeted tourists as snow continued to fall.

Many schools, churches and city offices also closed in Georgia and Louisiana after two inches of snow fell in some areas.

Louisiana utilities reported nearly 100,000 customers without power, with outages concentrated around Baton Rouge.

“It’s the first snow of the season and any time you even mention snow in the South, you’re going to get people a little panicky,” David Nadler, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s office south of Atlanta, told USA Today.

The frigid weather comes from a cold front combined with moisture off the Gulf of Mexico to bring snow and sleet to the southern states.

READ MORE: Texas driver goes nuts with ‘doughnuts’ in mall parking lot

Despite the winter surprise, many people seemed to be having fun with the weather and took to Twitter to post pictures and videos of the rare sighting.

— With files from the Associated Press