Five Dead, Millions without Power amid 'Unprecedented' Wintry Weather in Southern US

Two people were killed in Texas and two more in Kentucky - both in crashes on treacherous roads, which local officials believe were likely caused by the weather.

Another died in the unusually cold conditions in Louisiana, where a resident in the city of Baton Rouge slipped on ice and suffered a fatal head injury.

Subfreezing temperatures have caused massive power outages in Texas and all across the Deep South - and officials are urging people to stay home as the winter storms continue to shut roads and cause traffic pile-ups.

President Joe Biden has declared a federal emergency in Texas, where temperatures plunged to -22C (-7.6F), compared to the usual February average of between 20C (68F) and 24C (75F) in central and southern areas.

And as temperatures looked set to plummet again, officials warned that homes still without power would possibly not have heat until at least Tuesday.

"Things will likely get worse before they get better," said Houston's Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Sky News reported.

America's largest oil refinery - Motiva's Port Arthur - has also had to shut down because of the weather in Texas, described by the company and Republican Governor Greg Abbott as "unprecedented".

Homes and businesses in eastern Kansas and western Missouri have also been struck by power blackouts, with the total number of people affected stretching into the millions.

The bleak conditions have been caused by an Arctic air mass - or polar vortex - which has settled over much of the country, from the Pacific Northwest through to the Great Plains and into the Mid-Atlantic States.