As Winter Storm Cora barrels toward the southern US, nine states are closing schools, stocking up on supplies and preparing for dangerous roads.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued winter storm watches and warnings for large swaths of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and the entire state of Tennessee.
Snow and ice will create travel mayhem from Texas to the Carolinas and Virginia, including in and around Dallas-Fort Worth, Nashville, Atlanta and other cities, according to The Weather Channel.
AccuWeather stated that the risk of a significant ice storm could trigger widespread power outages is increasing for parts of northeastern Texas to northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas.
‘Persons should delay travel if possible. If travel is absolutely necessary, drive with extreme caution and be prepared for sudden changes in visibility,’ the NWS advised in a Wednesday morning update.
The warning comes as a person was found frozen to death at a bus stop in Houston, Texas during a winter storm that hit earlier this week.
The heaviest snowfall will hit far northern Texas and southeast Oklahoma into Arkansas, northern Mississippi, northern Alabama, northern Georgia, southern Tennessee and extreme western North Carolina, including in Dallas and Little Rock.
‘Should 6 inches of snow fall in Dallas, it would be in the top-five snowfalls on record,’ AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin said.
Six to 12 inches of accumulation are possible for this area, according to AccuWeather.
Storm Cora is predicted to move into the South Plains Wednesday evening and linger until Thursday, with the wintry mix dissipating midday Friday.
As Winter Storm Cora barrels toward the southern US, nine states are closing schools, stocking up on supplies and preparing for dangerous roads
‘Leave plenty of room between you and the motorist ahead of you, and allow extra time to reach your destination, the agency added.
‘Avoid sudden braking or acceleration, and be especially cautious on hills or when making turns. Make sure your car is winterized and in good working order.’
South of the storm’s main band, a few inches of snow and sleet may accumulate in areas near and north of Atlanta in Georgia, Greenville in South Carolina and North Carolina’s Charlotte.
Elsewhere, light snow totals of a dusting to a few inches are expected from southern Kansas and Missouri to the Ohio Valley, the Great Lakes and the Northeast.
The storm will begin with some areas of light snow, freezing rain and sleet developing in the Southern Plains.
Parts of northern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, southern Kansas and southwestern Missouri could see snow Wednesday night into Thursday, while sleet and freezing rain may stretch from central Texas into northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas.
By Thursday, driving could be hazardous in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Little Rock and the Texas Hill Country, The Weather Channel reported.
Wintry precipitation should taper off in Texas and Oklahoma by midday Friday, but snow will spread further east into Kentucky, Tennessee, northern Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.
By Thursday, driving could be hazardous in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Little Rock and the Texas Hill Country, The Weather Channel reported.
Wintery precipitation should taper off in Texas and Oklahoma by midday Friday, but snow will spread further east into Kentucky, Tennessee, northern Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and upstate South Carolina
Heading into the weekend, the storm will move into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with areas of snow lingering near the Eastern Seaboard and in the Appalachians early Saturday
A wintery mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain could hit near and north of Interstate 20 from northern Louisiana to Georgia and South Carolina.
‘This could lead to treacherous travel throughout these areas, with some roads possibly becoming impassable, especially in hilly or mountainous terrain,’ meteorologists for The Weather Channel stated.
Travel will be hazardous in the cities of Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Huntsville, Little Rock, Memphis and Nashville for at least part of Friday.
A freeze warning sign stands outside of an apartment complex in North Texas as the area braces for Winter Storm Cora
Cora comes as the combined impact of the Arctic blast and Winter Storm Blair, which wreaked havoc on the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic this week (pictured)
Meanwhile, fast-moving wildfires are engulfing the Los Angeles area, triggered by a powerful Santa Ana windstorm that swept Southern California Tuesday
Heading into the weekend, the storm will move into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with areas of snow lingering near the Eastern Seaboard and in the Appalachians early Saturday.
Especially in the early morning, travel will be difficult from northern Georgia to parts of South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
As the weekend comes to an end, the storm will move offshore and into the Atlantic, but could track as far north as southern New England before doing so, according to AccuWeather.
Winter Storm Cora comes as the eastern US faces a blast of Arctic air. New York City, pictured here, saw frigid temperatures Wednesday
Winter Storm Blair hit Cincinnati among many other major eastern cities this week
A different winter storm has swept the intermountain West this week. Motorists in Denver, Colorado survey damage to a utility vehicle after a storm-related crash
Winter Storm Cora comes as the eastern US faces a blast of Arctic air that will send temperatures plummeting as low as 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit below average in the first two weeks of January, according to AccuWeather.
The area most impacted by these frigid temps will be the northern Plains and Midwest to the interior Southeast.
As of Tuesday, the combined impact of the Arctic blast and Winter Storm Blair, which wreaked havoc on the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic this week, has already claimed the lives of at least six people.
The majority of these deaths were related to traffic accidents, but one victim was found frozen to death at a bus stop in Houston, Texas.
As of 10am ET Wednesday, more than 60,000 customers are still without power in Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia, according to PowerOutage.us.
Meanwhile, fast-moving wildfires are engulfing the Los Angeles area, triggered by a powerful Santa Ana windstorm that swept Southern California Tuesday.
Nearly 250,000 customers are out of power, and mandatory evacuations have been ordered for more than 80,000 people.
More than 1,400 firefighters are working to contain multiple blazes, but at this time, the fires are zero percent contained.
