Overview
- Weather Prediction Center guidance indicates high confidence in a large Friday–Sunday event, with the precise track and precipitation amounts still uncertain after an overnight northward shift.
- Winter storm watches cover wide areas from Texas to Tennessee and parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley, while extreme cold alerts are posted across the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest.
- Forecasters highlight dangerous icing up to about one‑half inch from Texas and Louisiana through Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas, threatening downed trees, power outages and treacherous roads.
- Heavy snow of 6–12 inches is possible in parts of the Plains, Mid‑South and Appalachians with higher totals in the mountains, and significant snow may reach the Mid‑Atlantic late in the weekend.
- Texas has activated state emergency resources, and a reinforcing Arctic blast is expected to lock in sub‑freezing temperatures and prolong impacts into early next week as energy demand drives natural gas prices higher.