Snow and ice had ground road travel to a halt in some places and at least two people died in Texas. Many school districts had closed throughout a region unaccustomed to snow.

The South is bracing for a major winter storm, most of the nation remains gripped by extreme cold, and high winds could fan flames in California.

More than 170 million people across the United States, from the Mexican border to the Canadian border are under cold weather alerts ahead of a crippling winter storm expected to sweep through the south from Texas to Georgia,