A winter storm is forecast to sweep across a 1,400-mile (2,200-kilometer) swath of the southern U.S. starting Thursday, dumping some states with up to a foot of snow.
The storm’s vast path, named Cora, includes 18 states from New Mexico to Virginia, where the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued winter storm warnings, warnings and/or winter weather advisories.
Over the next two days, 1 to 6 inches of snow could accumulate between central Texas and much of Tennessee and the southern Appalachians.
“If six inches of snow fell in Dallas, it would be in the top five snowfalls ever,” said Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather’s senior director of Forecasting Operations.
But areas of heavier snowfall up to 12 inches are possible from just north of Dallas to Little Rock, Arkansas, as well as from eastern Tennessee and high elevations of western North Carolina, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
Cora’s impact could extend into the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, although storm conditions will be minor in these regions.
Temperatures have fallen well below average in the South, allowing snow and ice to accumulate Thursday and Friday.
The widespread icing could be heavy enough to cause scattered power outages, as many states in the storm’s path are still working to restore electricity in the aftermath of Winter Storm Blair.
This wintry mess will create hazardous travel conditions across the region Thursday through Friday, including in and around the urban areas of Dallas-Ft. Worth, Little Rock, Nashville, Atlanta and Charlotte.
‘People should postpone their travel if possible. If travel is absolutely necessary, drive with extreme caution and be prepared for sudden changes in visibility,” the NWS advised.
As Winter Storm Cora barrels toward the southern U.S., nine states are closing schools, stocking up on supplies and preparing for dangerous roads
The storm is already bringing a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain to west Texas this morning, and will spread eastward into north Texas, Oklahoma, southern Kansas and western Arkansas during the day , The Weather Channel reported.
“Driving could be dangerous Thursday in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Little Rock and Texas Hill Country,” the station added.
Winter precipitation should taper off in Texas and Oklahoma by Friday afternoon, but snow will spread from the Mid-South into Kentucky, Tennessee, far northern parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.
A 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 through these areas, with some roads possibly becoming impassable, especially in hilly or mountainous terrain,” The Weather Channel meteorologists said.
Travel will be hazardous for at least part of Friday in the cities of Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Huntsville, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville.
Roads may be slick in the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes due to lighter snowfall, which will spread into the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Northeast Friday evening.
Heading into the weekend, the storm will move to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with pockets of snow near the East Coast and into the Appalachians early Saturday.
Driving could be dangerous Thursday in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Little Rock and the Texas Hill Country, The Weather Channel reported.
Winter precipitation should decrease in Texas and Oklahoma by Friday afternoon, but snow will spread further east into Kentucky, Tennessee, northern Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and the state of South Carolina.
Heading into the weekend, the storm will move to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with pockets of snow near the East Coast and into the Appalachians early Saturday.
It will be difficult to travel from northern Georgia to parts of South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, especially in the early morning.
As the weekend draws to a close, the storm will move toward the coast and the Atlantic Ocean, but could track as far north as southern New England first, according to AccuWeather.
Winter Storm Cora comes as the eastern U.S. faces a blast of Arctic air that will drop temperatures as much as 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit below average in the first two weeks of January.
The area most affected by these frigid temperatures will be the Northern Plains and the Midwest to the Interior Southeast.
If six inches of snow fell in Dallas, it would be in the top five of recorded snowfalls. A jogger jogs down a snowy road in Louisville, Kentucky on January 5
Winter Storm Cora comes just days after Winter Storm Blair brought heavy snow and ice to the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic. The photo shows a man moving snow in Shawnee, Kansas on January 5
Winter Storm Blair left tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power in states from Missouri to Virginia. Cincinnati, January 6, 2025
As of Tuesday, the combined impact of the Arctic blast and Winter Storm Blair, which wreaked havoc across 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.
The storm left tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power in states from Missouri to Virginia, and while electricity was restored to most of them Thursday morning, Winter Storm Cora threatens to cause more outages.
Meanwhile, fast-moving wildfires are engulfing the Los Angeles area, caused by a powerful Santa Ana wind storm that swept through Southern California on Tuesday.
More than 250,000 customers are without power and mandatory evacuations were ordered for more than 80,000 people on Wednesday.
More than 1,400 firefighters are working to contain multiple fires, but at this time many of the fires remain zero percent contained, including the two largest: the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, which have burned a combined 27,800 acres .