The map shows where a winter storm threatens to bring snow, brutal cold this weekend

More than 200 million people across the United States are in the path of a major winter storm that is forecast to bring a mix of ice, snow and freezing conditions to a 2,000-mile stretch of the country over the weekend. The biggest winter storm in at least five years could affect nearly two-thirds of the US.

Freezing rain, snow and rain will begin on Friday before moving into the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys across the Southern Plains and then into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic on Sunday.

The system is forecast to be slow moving, meaning snow and ice will have time to accumulate for a long time.

Winter storm alerts continued to be issued from the Southern Plains to the south and northeast on Monday, affecting more than 177 million people.

Extreme cold temperatures are a major concern. Friday morning, on the thermometer Minneapolis area It was 21 degrees below zero, with the wind chill even colder. Temperatures are expected to dip to record lows in the Southern Plains and parts of the Mid-Atlantic by the end of the week.

The map shows what to expect from winter storms

A low pressure system is forecast to develop to the southwest and interact with incoming Gulf moisture and cold Arctic air. Forecast models indicate that it will begin to reduce rainfall over the southern plains on Friday.

The system is expected to slowly move eastward, bringing snow and accumulating ice. Forecast models are changing as the event approaches, but it will affect a wide swath of the U.S. from Arizona to Maine, said National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Otto and Tony Fracasso, of the agency’s Weather Forecast Center.

Heavy snow is expected across a broad band of the country, with a foot or more of snow possible in parts of the Texas Panhandle and the Ozarks, Otto and Fracasso told CBS News. The highest snowfall totals — possibly up to 2 feet — could accumulate in the central Appalachians and in the northeastThey said.

According to CBS New York Meteorologist Scott Padgett said parts of New York could see 6 to 12 inches of snow.

Meanwhile, the polar vortex That which is normally located at the North Pole is plunging into the US, bringing unusually cold temperatures starting Thursday and lasting through the first half of next week. Wind chills of over 50 degrees below zero were reported in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota.

Communities from Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma to Washington, D.C., and New York City could see records for the coldest high temperatures. Frostbite can occur within 5 to 10 minutes if exposed to dangerous cold.

A hard freeze means snow and ice will stay on the ground well into mid-week after the storm passes.

Ice is expected to accumulate on the southern side of the storm’s track. Given the storm’s slow motion, accumulation amounts are expected to be three-quarters of an inch, or even up to an inch of snow in some areas. Impacts of this magnitude can bring down power lines. In bitterly cold places, power outages can leave people cold without indoor heat in some communities.

Parts of northeastern Texas, northern Mississippi and southwestern Tennessee will feel the biggest impact of the ice, Otto and Fracasso said. They noted that snowy conditions are expected to have a significant impact on the block southeast from North Georgia to the Carolinas.

Potential snowfall totals of 12-18 inches could be seen from the southern plains to the northeast, but expected totals for individual locations are still in flux as forecast models continue to come together.

As this system moves east, snowfall amounts will vary by location.

Winter storms can affect travel plans

Weather conditions on roads and airports are likely to disrupt travel. Some airports in the south do not have the equipment for planes to take off safely, possibly causing widespread cancellations and delays over the weekend.

Some airports that may see problems are Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport; Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City; Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis International and Nashville International Airports in Tennessee and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Major US airlines are issuing travel waiversAnd many carriers are issuing travel alerts and allowing customers to change their plans without penalty until Thursday.

In a news release Thursday evening, Delta Air Lines said it would be “necessary” to cancel flights “at select airports in North Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee.” No details were given on how many flights were expected to be affected.

With slow conditions on major interstates like I-10, I-20, I-30, I-35, I-40, I-44, I-49 and I-55, the roads can be very difficult, if not impossible, to navigate.

Road travel is highly discouraged on weekends, but if it is absolutely necessary, people are advised to drive carefully.

“True and hazardous driving conditions are possible due to accumulating snow and ice. In some areas, travel will be nearly impossible at the peak of the storm,” Otto and Fracasso said. “The extreme cold following the storm will prolong potential impacts, with many areas not getting above freezing for most of next week.”

Officials urge drivers to consider taking a winter storm kit with them, including booster cables, flashlights, shovels, blankets and extra clothing, as well as water, a first aid kit and other items to help survive in a stranded situation.

Preparation is underway

In Texas, heavy ice can weigh down power lines and trigger widespread outages. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state’s power grid, said at a press conference Thursday that it has “never been stronger, never been more prepared, and is fully capable of handling this winter storm.”

Texas transportation agencies are working overtime to prepare, as officials hope to avoid a repeat of the widespread outage caused by one cause. Paralyzing snow storm More than 200 people died in 2021.

Shops across the south were filled with people loading up on supplies like generators, flashlights and batteries. In the Fort Worth area, some stores were finding essential items out of stock.

Meanwhile, staff at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago were bracing for an increase in cold-related shocks, with emergency room physicians on standby.

“We’re going to see a lot more patients for exposure, frostnip, frostbite, maybe hypothermia,” Rush ER physician Dr. Scott Heinrich told CBS News. “We see our vulnerable population, those who are home unsafe, maybe our older adults without heat.”

Due to forecast uncertainty

After weather forecast models differed significantly in their winter storm forecasts earlier in the week, uncertainty is diminishing as the storm approaches.

Those differences seen earlier in the week were not unusual, Otto and Fracasso said, adding that there could be significant differences “between forecast models 3-4 days before storm onset.”

Winter storm predictions can carry an additional layer of uncertainty, as colder temperatures create another variable in the forecast.

“For winter storms, the uncertainty is increased due to uncertainty in the amount of total precipitation in addition to the type of precipitation,” Otto and Fracasso said. When the type of precipitation is snow, very small atmospheric changes such as temperature differences of one or two degrees can change the forecast dramatically, they added.

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