A powerful winter storm is expected to blanket parts of the South with snow and ice in the coming days, which could lead to more commutes and travel problems from Texas to the Carolinas and Virginia.

This storm was named Cora by the Weather Channel.

(​MORE: 2023-2024 winter storm names)

Winter storm warnings now issued

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings for the threat of snow, sleet and freezing rain across portions of northern Texas, southeastern 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 arrive as early as Wednesday evening or Thursday.

Additional winter storm warnings are likely to be issued further east along this storm’s future path to the south over the next day or two.

forecast time

Wednesday night through Thursday

• Snow and ice will spread across the Southern Plains on Wednesday night.
• Snow is forecast for parts of northern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and southern Kansas.
• A band of sleet and freezing rain could extend from central Texas to northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas.
• Driving could begin Thursday in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas-Ft. be dangerous. Worth, Little Rock and the Texas Hill Country.

Friday

• Any wintry precipitation in Oklahoma and Texas should end by midday.
• Snow will spread from the Mid-South region into Kentucky, Tennessee, the far northern portions of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, into North Carolina and possibly upstate South Carolina.
• Areas south of this main snow band may experience a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain, generally near and north of Interstate 20 from north Louisiana to Georgia.
• This could result in treacherous driving in these areas, with some roads potentially becoming impassable, particularly in hilly or mountainous terrain.
• Metro areas that could experience wintry travel conditions for at least part of Friday include Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Huntsville, Little Rock, Memphis and Nashville.

Saturday

• Areas of snow and wind may continue near the East Coast and in the Appalachian Mountains.
• Parts of the Carolinas may also experience light sleet or freezing rain, especially early.
• Travel from northern Georgia to parts of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and perhaps the Delmarva Peninsula could be challenging.

Snow, ice potential

• At least moderate accumulations are possible from north Texas and southeast Oklahoma into Arkansas. In some areas this means 5 or more inches could accumulate.
• Farther east, light to moderate snow accumulations of at least a few inches could occur in Tennessee as well as northern portions of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, northern South Carolina and North Carolina, depending on the direction of the storm.
• Sleet or freezing rain is possible to accumulate along the southern edge of the snowfall area shown in the map below. This can be enough to make roads dangerous and cause tree damage and power outages in some areas.
• In general, lower snowfall amounts are forecast farther north in the Ohio Valley.
• Visit us at Weather.com for updates on this forecast.

(​MORE: Why the snowfall forecast sometimes changes)

Atlantic Bomb Cyclone?

• The low pressure area is expected to move into the western Atlantic this weekend.
• Here, the low could quickly develop into a bomb cyclone, essentially an intense, windy low pressure area.
• Exactly Where And When what happens is what matters.
• Currently, most computer model forecasts suggest the intensification may be too far off the East Coast for there to be a major impact this weekend, but it could be close.
• It is still too early to rule out this tightening closer to the East Coast with major impacts this weekend. Check back with Weather.com for updates.

Jonathan Erdman is the senior meteorologist at Weather.com and has been reporting on domestic and international weather conditions since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather conditions are his favorite topics. Contact him at Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) And Facebook.​