Winter storms shock US Deep South

Rare and unusual snow and ice in the US have led to three states calling a state of emergency.

Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina have been hardest hit by the arctic vortex. Drivers there were told to stay off the roads.

In Atlanta, Georgia, miles of snow-covered motorways packed with hundreds of stranded motorists waited hours for the traffic to clear.

In Washington, the National Gallery’s ice rink closed. Officials said it was too cold for skaters to be out on the ice.

The cold snap is part of an arctic front that’s put millions of people under weather warnings.

Across the Deep South, the deep freeze could make temperatures feel as cold as minus 34 degrees Celsius.