With arctic air still locked in place across the East, the next winter storm is poised to bring a treacherous mix of snow, sleet, ice and freezing rain to the South and possibly the Mid-Atlantic, which once again could potentially disrupt travel and daily life for millions of people in the coming days.
The National Weather Service has issued winter storm watches across northern Texas, southeast Oklahoma, Arkansas and northern Louisiana, including the major metropolitan areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Little Rock, Ark.; and Shreveport, La. Forecasters warned of hazardous travel conditions and potential disruptions to daily life in these areas.
The storm is arriving just days after the first major winter storm of the year disrupted life in the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic, delaying or canceling more than 9,000 flights, causing accidents resulting in at least three deaths, and leaving more than 200,000 customers without power amid states of emergencies in several areas.
This winter storm is expected to begin on Wednesday along the Gulf Coast before moving northeast in an elongated path from Texas to the Carolinas, bringing a mix of snow, sleet, ice and freezing rain.
What to expect: Snow, ice and freezing rain
The first signs of winter weather will arrive on Wednesday night, with light snow developing over western Texas. The true impact is set to unfold Thursday into Friday, as a more potent system strengthens along the Gulf Coast and combines with arctic air spilling southward.
The exact path the storm takes out of the Gulf of Mexico will have a direct impact on what type of winter precipitation falls and where.
Heavy snow is anticipated in north-central and northeast Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Fort Worth office of the Weather Service predicted snow accumulations of three to six inches, with ice potentially adding an additional layer of danger. Similar totals are expected in southeastern Oklahoma, where some areas could see up to six inches of snow by Friday.
Arkansas is also in the storm’s path, with the west-central and central parts of the state likely to receive at least four inches of snow.
Freezing rain and sleet are also forecast to stretch from central Texas, the north of Louisiana and central parts of Mississippi and Alabama, creating a patchwork of wintry conditions, though specific amounts are hard to pinpoint this far in advance, Peter Mullinax, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center, said on Tuesday.
“There’s still some uncertainty once you get east of Mississippi,” he said.
In Georgia, where the precise precipitation type is still uncertain, freezing rain is becoming an increasing concern among forecasters. The Weather Service office in Peachtree City warned that Friday into Saturday could bring accumulating ice, particularly along and north of Interstate 20. The mountains of northern Georgia may see up to an inch or more of snow.
From Friday, the storm is forecast to bring light to moderate snowfall to areas of Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina and possibly South Carolina. According to current Weather Service forecasts, these areas are likely to receive at least an inch of snow, with some locations in Tennessee potentially accumulating more than three inches.
While some snow amounts remained uncertain, forecasters at the Weather Service said snow totals were likely to be greatest from portions of North Texas into southeastern Oklahoma and central Arkansas.
“With the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex averaging just 1.8 inches of snow per season, this storm could be a rare and disruptive event,” Mr. Mullinax said.
It is likely that other places recently hit by this weekend’s snowstorm could face the potential for another highly impactful winter weather event in the Mid-Atlantic. Forecasters cautioned that, with the variability in the possible storm track, it was too early to determine if any additional snow would fall in Washington, D.C., or New York.
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