Texas hit by widespread power cuts as wintry weather sweeps across US

The Capitol grounds are covered in snow in Austin, Texas. Picture: Jay Janner/AP

Winter weather across the US is likely to blame for the deaths of two people in Texas, where an unusually snowy emergency knocked out power for more than four million people, shut down grocery stores and air travel and closed schools ahead of frigid days still to come.

As nightfall threatened to plummet temperatures again into single digits, officials warned that homes still without power would likely not have heat until at least Tuesday, as frustration mounted and the state’s electric grid came under growing demand and criticism.