Across vast swaths of the United States, a massive winter storm is barreling eastward, threatening to upend daily life for more than 170 million Americans this weekend. Forecasts from the National Weather Service and various meteorological models point to an extraordinary combination of heavy snow, freezing rain, and sleet stretching from the Southern Rockies all the way to New England through Monday, January 27, 2026. For many cities in the South—places more accustomed to mild winters than blizzards or ice—the coming days could bring a rare and dangerous taste of northern weather.
It all begins with a powerful system moving out of the Southwest, which is set to interact with a deep pool of cold air lingering over the South and Southeast. According to models cited by The Associated Press, this volatile mix could result in a wintry mess from northern Texas to northern Georgia, with Atlanta itself possibly seeing snow and ice. The potential for ice is particularly concerning in cities like Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Little Rock—places where such events are infrequent and infrastructure is rarely tested by these extremes.
"Travel is going to become more and more treacherous starting late Friday afternoon and lasting through the rest of the weekend," the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, posted online. The warning is echoed by local officials, who are scrambling to prepare for what could be a dayslong ordeal of hazardous roads, power outages, and frigid temperatures.
Already, the effects of the storm are being felt. On Friday, January 23, more than 800 flights within, into, or out of the United States were delayed or canceled, snarling travel at major airports in Dallas, Atlanta, and Oklahoma, according to FlightAware. In anticipation, Oklahoma’s Department of Transportation pretreated roads with salt brine, while the state Highway Patrol canceled days off for troopers and teamed up with the National Guard to help stranded drivers. Houston’s public schools closed for the day, moving to e-learning, while Dallas schools canceled all after-school activities for Friday and the weekend.
In Houston, preparations have reached an all-hands-on-deck level, with a utility company mobilizing 3,300 employees to respond to the storm. "We’re hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst," Houston Mayor John Whitmire posted online. The sense of urgency is palpable across the region, as memories linger of the devastating cold snap five years ago that crippled Texas’ power grid and resulted in hundreds of deaths. Governor Greg Abbott, seeking to reassure residents, declared, "the power system has never been stronger."
Yet forecasters are not pulling any punches. The National Weather Service warns that the damage, especially in areas battered by ice, could rival that of a hurricane. Ice is notorious for its ability to snap tree branches and power lines—sometimes adding hundreds of pounds to already stressed infrastructure. The subsequent outages could leave homes and businesses in the dark for days, with roads and sidewalks remaining icy and treacherous well into next week.
The storm’s reach is nothing short of staggering. From Texas through parts of the South, a crippling ice storm is possible, while more than a foot of snow could blanket areas from Oklahoma through Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston. In Pennsylvania, residents are bracing for a foot of snow and bone-chilling wind chills below zero. Farther north, wind chills could plummet to minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota—conditions that can cause frostbite in as little as ten minutes. Even Florida is expected to feel the sting of freezing temperatures.
With so many people in the storm’s path, states of emergency have been declared in Georgia and Mississippi. In Alabama, the demand for backup power is surging. At Jomo’s Power Equipment, Parts & Service Inc. in Huntsville, dozens of generators flew off the shelves in a day, prompting an emergency shipment to meet customer demand. "I’d say 95% of the calls were generator-related or either service or ‘Do you have any generators in stock,’" said store manager Bryan Hill, as quoted by The Associated Press.
For many, the scramble for supplies began early in the week. Lindsay Sylvester, a resident of Toney, Alabama, stocked up on bread and essentials, even sending her college-aged son a care package of gloves, candles, and hand warmers. "A couple of people I heard talking about they had gone to Walmart and there was no milk, no bread," she shared. "All the necessities were gone." Similar scenes played out in Dallas, where shoppers like Kennedi Mallard and Frank Green found bare shelves: "No water, no eggs, no butter, no ground meat," Green observed.
Schools across the region are bracing for disruptions. North Carolina’s largest public school system has told teachers to prepare three days’ worth of assignments that can be accessed online or on paper, anticipating that physical classrooms may be off-limits next week. In Virginia, Governor Abigail Spanberger urged residents to prepare for the possibility of days without power or the ability to leave their neighborhoods, emphasizing the importance of readiness in the face of uncertainty. She also offered reassurance on a related front, encouraging people not to hesitate to call 911 in an emergency, regardless of the political climate around immigration enforcement in other states.
Elsewhere, the cold air surging down from Canada forced Chicago and Des Moines public schools to close on Friday, as wind chills were forecast to drop as low as minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Such conditions make even a short walk to the bus stop or school dangerous, with frostbite a real threat in minutes.
Winter storms of this magnitude are notoriously difficult to predict in detail, and meteorologists caution that the areas hardest hit won’t be clear until the snow and ice begin to fall. Still, the consensus is clear: the combination of heavy precipitation, ice, and bitter cold presents a formidable challenge. Forecasters say the cold punch that follows the storm will slow any thaw, prolonging the dangers posed by downed trees, power lines, and slick surfaces.
Transportation officials, like Dave Parker from the Arkansas Department of Transportation, are pleading for patience and urging people to stay home once the storm hits. The message is echoed by emergency managers and local leaders across the South and Midwest: preparation is key, and unnecessary travel could be perilous.
For many Southern cities, where snow and ice are rare visitors, the weekend ahead will be a test of resilience and resourcefulness. Whether it’s braving the grocery store crowds, firing up a newly purchased generator, or simply hunkering down to ride out the storm, millions are steeling themselves for whatever the weather may bring.
As the first flakes begin to fall and the ice starts to accumulate, the true extent of the storm’s impact will become clear. For now, Americans from Texas to New England are watching the skies, stocking their pantries, and hoping that the worst predictions don’t come to pass.