Winter Storm to Affect Over 30 Eastern US States This Weekend

A major winter storm is poised to sweep across more than 30 states in the eastern United States this weekend, bringing heavy snow, dangerous ice and bitterly cold temperatures from the Southern Plains through the Mid-Atlantic region. The system, expected to develop Friday and intensify through Sunday into early Monday, could deliver up to a foot of snow in parts of the South and East Coast while threatening widespread travel disruptions and power outages.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service have issued winter storm watches for areas including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana starting Friday night, with the storm's core impacts shifting eastward over the weekend. The system originates from an upper-level disturbance moving out of the West, interacting with a deep dip in the jet stream that is funneling Arctic air southward. Abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will fuel the precipitation, but the storm's exact track remains a key uncertainty, influencing snowfall totals and the mix of wintry weather.

In the Southern Plains, heavy snow is forecast north of Interstate 20, particularly along Interstate 35 from Oklahoma City to Dallas, where accumulations...