An arctic cold snap will plunge into the country beginning this weekend, setting the stage for a potential wintry mess of snow and ice from parts of the South into the East in the week ahead. Cold air is already diving southward through the Rockies and Plains.
Snowy, Icy Mess?
First up, a wintry system, named Winter Storm Leona by The Weather Channel, will spread a roughly west-to-east band of moderate to heavy snow from the Upper Mississippi Valley to the Great Lakes and interior Northeast through Sunday. After that, a classic pattern in the heart of winter sets up a potential mess of snow and ice in the week ahead.
A stationary front marking the boundary of the arctic air mass will hang out from the Southern Plains to the East Coast. With an active jet stream riding over the top of it and moist air pulled north from the Gulf over the cold air, this is a prime setup for multiple rounds of snow, sleet and freezing rain on the cold side of that front.
While the key forecast details have not yet come into focus this far in advance, areas from western and northern Texas and Oklahoma eastward into Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and possibly parts of the mid-Atlantic have the best chance of seeing at least one round of snow and/or ice in the week ahead. Some freezing rain and/or sleet may begin as soon as Monday morning in this zone.
The most likely area for problems includes far north Texas, southeastern Oklahoma and northern Arkansas. There is at least a low chance of disruptions to daily life, including travel issues, closures and sporadic power interruptions in this area.
Cold Snap Timing
Sharply colder air will dive into the Southern Plains, including Oklahoma and parts of western and northern Texas, by Sunday, and ahead of the stripe of precipitation. It's in these areas where cold air will be most persistent, lasting into much of the week ahead.
Subzero lows are possible as far south as northern Illinois, Iowa, western Kansas and eastern Colorado. Teens and 20s below zero are possible in the coldest spots of the northern Rockies and Northern Plains. At times, strong winds could lead to dangerous wind chills in these areas.
In Oklahoma, northern and western Texas, subfreezing lows can be expected in the week ahead, and a few days may see high temperatures remain below freezing. However, this cold snap is not forecast to be nearly as cold, nor last as long as either the historic February 2021 cold wave, or the late January-early February 2019 outbreak.
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