Americans across the southern United States are bracing for a storm that's set to bring heavy snow, ice and freezing rain to parts of the country that are less accustomed to such severe winter weather.
An "extremely cold airmass" spreading frigid temperatures across much of the country will send a major winter storm to hit Texas and the Carolinas before reaching the Northeast, forecasters said.
The storm will begin with a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain stretching across the Southern Rockies and Plains region through the mid-South on Jan. 23 before spreading toward the East Coast over the weekend. The northern half of the storm will bring heavy snow while the southern half will see freezing rain across much of the Deep South.
Forecasters and emergency management officials have urged residents across the South to stock up on supplies as state transportation departments plan to treat roads and utility providers prepare for widespread outages.
"Treacherous travel conditions, prolonged power outages and tree damage are likely," forecasters warned.
