Overview
- Winter Storm Watches are posted across parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, with impacts forecast to begin Friday in the Southern Plains and spread east through the weekend.
- The highest risk zone for freezing rain centers near the I-20 corridor from Dallas through Shreveport to Atlanta, where ice accretion near or above one-half inch could trigger widespread outages and shut down travel, while heavy snow is expected just to the north.
- Forecasts indicate Oklahoma City could see one of its larger snow events on record, with more than 6 inches possible, though exact totals remain uncertain.
- Texas has activated state emergency resources ahead of the storm, and grid operator ERCOT said it anticipates sufficient generation to meet demand.
- Significant travel disruption is likely on major interstates and at hub airports Sunday–Monday, and forecasters caution that a 50–100-mile track shift could flip locations between cold rain, freezing rain, sleet or snow as Arctic air keeps temperatures below freezing for days in parts of the region.