A rare blast of snow, sleet and ice has hit the southern United States, prompting schools to close, airlines to cancel flights and emergency officials to warn of icy roads.

According to the National Weather Service, the winter storm extended from southern Louisiana to the Gulf Coast into northern Florida and through the Carolinas. Much of Georgia was placed under a winter storm watch for Tuesday and Wednesday, with some areas forecast to see as much as five centimeters of snow.

More than 2,800 flights were canceled and hundreds of others delayed. Freezing temperatures and rain snarled the morning commute through large parts of central Texas and Louisiana, where roads and bridges were iced over.

Police in Austin, Texas, reported about 100 crashes caused by icy roads but said there had been no fatalities.