Next Winter Storm To Spread Snow, Ice Through South

A​nother winter storm is expected to blanket parts of the South with snow and ice in the coming days that could lead to more commuting and travel headaches from Texas to the Carolinas and Virginia.

T​his storm has been named Cora by The Weather Channel.

(​MORE: Winter Storm Names 2023-2024)

W​inter Storm Alerts Now Posted

The National Weather Service has issued w​inter storm watches for this storm’s threat of snow, sleet and freezing rain in parts of northern Texas, southeast Oklahoma, Arkansas and northern Louisiana, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Little Rock and Shreveport. Residents and travelers in these areas should prepare for impacts from this winter storm to begin arriving by Wednesday night or Thursday.

Additional winter storm alerts will likely be issued farther to east along this storm’s future path in the South over the next day or two.

F​orecast Timing

Wednesday Night Into Thursday

• Snow and ice will spread into the Southern Plains Wednesday night.
• P​arts of northern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and southern Kansas are forecast to see snow.
• A​ band of sleet and freezing rain may stretch from central Texas into northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas.
• D​riving could be hazardous by Thursday in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Little Rock and the Texas Hill Country.

Friday

• Snow will continue from the Mid-South region into Kentucky, Tennessee, northern parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia into North Carolina and possibly upstate South Carolina.
• Sleet and freezing rain is expected from northern Louisiana to the Tennessee Valley and southern Piedmont of the Appalachians.
• A​ny wintry precipitation in Oklahoma and Texas should end by midday.
• T​his could lead to treacherous travel throughout these areas, with some roads possibly becoming impassable, especially in hilly or mountainous terrain.
• Metro areas that could see wintry travel conditions for at least a part of Friday include Atlanta, Birmingham, Huntsville, L​ittle Rock, Memphis and Nashville.

Saturday

• Areas of snow and wind may linger near the Eastern Seaboard, as well as in the Appalachians.
• S​ome light sleet or freezing rain may also linger, especially early, in parts of the Carolinas.
• T​ravel could be challenging from northern Georgia to parts of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and perhaps the Delmarva Peninsula.

Snow, Ice Potential

• For now, the highest snowfall amounts are possible from northern Texas and southeast Oklahoma into Arkansas and northern Mississippi. Some of these areas may pick up 5 inches or more.
• G​enerally light to moderate snow accumulations are expected elsewhere in the South and East, as the map below shows. But that’s enough to make travel challenging late this week.
• A​ccumulating sleet or ice is possible along the southern edge of the snowfall area shown in the map below. This may be enough to make roads hazardous and could lead to tree damage and power outages in some areas.
• C​heck back with us at weather.com for updates to this forecast.

(​MORE: Why Snowfall Forecast Sometimes Change)

Atlantic Bomb Cyclone?

• This weekend, the low pressure system should move into the western Atlantic Ocean.
• I​t’s here where the low could intensify rapidly into a bomb cyclone, basically an intense, windy area of low pressure.
• E​xactly where and when that happens is critical.
• F​or now, a majority of computer model forecasts suggest that intensification may occur too far off the East Coast for major impacts this weekend, but it could be a close call.
• It’s too soon to rule out this intensification closer to the East Coast with more significant impacts this weekend. Again, check back with us at weather.com for updates.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.​