Winter storm warning for 9 states as millions are told: don’t leave home unless ‘absolutely necessary’

As winter storm Cora barrels toward the southern U.S., nine states are closing schools, stocking up on supplies and preparing for dangerous road conditions.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued winter storm watches and warnings for much of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and the entire state of Tennessee.

Snow and ice will cause travel chaos from Texas to the Carolinas and Virginia, including in and around Dallas-Fort Worth, Nashville, Atlanta and other cities, according to The Weather Channel.

AccuWeather stated that the risk of a significant ice storm could cause widespread power outages in parts from northeastern Texas to northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas.

‘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 in a Wednesday morning update.

The warning comes as a person was found frozen to death at a bus stop in Houston, Texas during a winter storm that hit earlier this week.

The heaviest snowfall will affect far northern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma, extending into Arkansas, northern Mississippi, northern Alabama, northern Georgia, southern Tennessee and far western North Carolina, including Dallas and Little Rock.

“If Dallas got 6 inches of snow, it would be in the top five snowfalls ever,” said Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather’s senior director of Forecasting Operations.

According to AccuWeather, an accumulation of six to twelve inches is possible in this area.

Storm Cora is forecast to move into the South Plains Wednesday evening and linger into Thursday, with the wintry mix clearing Friday afternoon.

“Leave plenty of space between you and the motorist in front of you, and allow extra time to reach your destination,” the agency added.

‘Avoid sudden braking or acceleration, and be especially careful on hills or when making turns. Make sure your car is winterized and in good condition.”

South of the storm’s main band, several inches of snow and sleet may accumulate in areas near and north of Atlanta, Georgia, Greenville, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Elsewhere, light snow showers of several inches are expected from southern Kansas and Missouri to the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes and the Northeast.

The storm will begin developing some areas of light snow, freezing rain and sleet in the Southern Plains.

Parts of north Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, southern Kansas and southwestern Missouri could see snow Wednesday night through Thursday, while sleet and freezing rain could extend from central Texas to northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas.

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.

A wintry 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 in the cities of Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Huntsville, Little Rock, Memphis and Nashville for at least part of Friday.

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, according to AccuWeather.

The area most affected by these frigid temperatures will be the Northern Plains and the Midwest to the Interior Southeast.

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.

More than 60,000 customers are still without power in Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia, according to sources as of 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday. PowerOutage.us.

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.

Nearly 250,000 customers are without power and mandatory evacuations have been ordered for more than 80,000 people.

More than 1,400 firefighters are working to get several fires under control, but the fires are currently zero percent under control.