Overview
- More than 120 million people across roughly two dozen states are under winter alerts as snow, sleet and freezing rain expand from the Plains Friday into the South, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast through Monday.
- Forecasters warn the most serious hazard is freezing rain from northern Texas through the Lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys into the Carolinas and Virginia, where ice could down trees and power lines.
- Heavy snow is expected north of the ice zone with widespread 6 to 12 inches and localized totals near 20 inches in the Appalachians, with major cities from Washington, D.C., to New York City in the snow band.
- The storm track has shifted slightly north in recent forecasts, increasing snow risk for parts of the Midwest and Northeast, though forecasters caution small changes could still alter local snow and ice totals.
- States of emergency or preparedness are in place in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Texas, airlines have issued travel waivers, rail operators warn of delays, and life‑threatening wind chills of 30 to 50 below zero are possible in the coldest regions.