Overview
- Forecasters at the Weather Prediction Center report a northward shift in guidance and say a significant storm is likely from Friday into early next week, with winter storm watches spanning large parts of the Southern Plains and Mid‑South.
- Heavy snow is expected from Oklahoma and Arkansas through Tennessee into the central Appalachians and parts of the Mid‑Atlantic, where some locations could top a foot and widespread travel disruptions are likely.
- A broad southern corridor from central Texas to the Carolinas is forecast to see sleet and freezing rain, with ice accretions up to about one‑half inch raising the risk of tree damage, downed power lines and prolonged outages.
- Texas has activated state emergency resources ahead of the storm, and meteorologists warn of major disruptions to highways and airports across affected regions through the weekend.
- A deep Arctic air mass will follow the system, driving single‑digit to sub‑zero temperatures and wind chills near −50°F in parts of the Northern Plains, while natural gas prices have surged on expected heating demand.