Cross-country US storm causes blizzard warnings, tornadoes and two deaths

Police say a young boy and his mother were found dead in Louisiana, where their home was destroyed after a tornado hit

A destructive storm marched across the US on Wednesday, spawning tornadoes in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, where the deaths of a young boy and his mother were reported, delivering blizzard-like conditions to the Great Plains and threatening more severe weather in the south.

The huge storm system was also expected to push more snow and ice into Appalachia and New England. The wintery blast dumped more than 2ft of snow in parts of South Dakota.