AccuWeather
By Joe Edwards
Reporter
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Forecasters at the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) have issued a fresh update on the upcoming winter storm expected to impact a vast swathe of the U.S. later this week.
On Wednesday morning, the WPC said that guidance for the “major winter storm” had shifted north slightly overnight, expanding the areas forecast to be affected Friday through the weekend.
According to the agency, the “expansive” winter storm will bring bands of heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain from the Southern Rockies and Plains into the Mid‑South starting Friday, then track across the East Coast this weekend and potentially into Monday for New England. “Extreme” cold following the system will extend snow and ice impacts, it said.
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Heavy snow is likely across the Southern Rockies and south‑central Plains, spreading east into the Mid‑Atlantic, said the WPC, which also warned that snow-covered roads and poor visibility will create “widespread travel disruptions.”
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Broad areas of freezing rain and sleet are expected south of the all‑snow zone across the Southern Plains, Mid‑South, and Carolinas, according to the agency. Hazardous travel, extended power outages, and tree damage are all likely, it said.
“Confidence is high that a significant storm will occur, but not on specific details for the storm track, timing, and precipitation amounts,” the WPC said. “Start preparations now for an impactful and prolonged winter storm and keep up to date with the forecast,” it advised.
“This is a plan-changing winter storm stretching from Texas through the Southeast and into the I-95 corridor, with significant impacts expected this weekend,” Weather Channel on-camera meteorologist Stephanie Abrams said in an email sent to Newsweek.
“Travel conditions will deteriorate quickly as rain changes to ice, sleet, and snow, and widespread power outages are possible in areas that rarely deal with ice.
“What makes this storm especially dangerous is the lack of a warm-up afterward—temperatures stay cold enough for refreezing day after day. People need to prepare now, finish travel early, and be ready for disruptions that could last well into next week.”
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Winter storm watches, issued by the National Weather Service “when there is the potential for significant and hazardous winter weather” span large swathes of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, and Missouri as of early Wednesday, with the agency warning of “life-threatening” conditions in some areas.
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