Overview
- The Weather Prediction Center reports a slight northward shift in guidance and high confidence in a significant, expansive storm from Friday through the weekend.
- A freezing rain corridor from central Texas through the Lower Mississippi Valley into the Carolinas could see around or over a half‑inch of ice, threatening widespread power outages and tree damage.
- Heavy snow is expected north of the ice zone from Oklahoma and the southern Plains through the Ohio Valley into the Mid‑Atlantic, with localized totals near a foot depending on the storm track.
- Tens of millions are under winter storm watches and advisories, and Texas has activated state emergency resources as major highways and airports prepare for significant disruptions.
- An entrenched Arctic air mass will drive single‑digit to sub‑zero temperatures with wind chills as low as −50°F, slowing melt and extending impacts into next week as natural gas prices jump on expected demand.