FOX Weather Meteorologist Jane Minar outlines the life-threatening cold that will dive into the South ahead of a winter storm that could unfold in the region starting early next week.
HOUSTON – A winter storm that is expected to begin in Texas next week could end up bringing snow and ice to parts of Florida, but the forecast is far from a lock.
Forecasting winter weather in the South is no easy task. All the components – cold, moisture, location, timing – must come together at just the right moment for snow, sleet and freezing rain to fall.
The first piece of this weather jigsaw puzzle is a guarantee. A slug of polar vortex-fueled arctic air will spill into the U.S. this weekend, bringing sub-freezing temperatures deep into the South. With that comes a wild swing in temperatures. For example, the highs on Saturday in Houston are forecast to be in the 60s. By Sunday, temperatures will struggle to reach the middle 40s. Temperatures by Monday morning will be in the 20s.
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The moisture part of the storm begins to take shape Monday with precipitation spreading across the southern half of Texas. By early Tuesday morning, wintry precipitation could be falling in a swath from Del Rio east to Houston.
CenterPoint Energy, which provides power to much of southeastern Texas, including the Houston metro, said it has activated its cold-weather readiness plan ahead of the expected winter weather.
The winter weather rapidly moves east, with places such as New Orleans in Louisiana and Pensacola in Florida getting snow, sleet and freezing rain by Tuesday night.
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An ice storm could develop across northern Florida and Georgia, with snow stretching as far north as Virginia before the storm exits the region by Wednesday afternoon.
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Uncertainty remains
The biggest question with any winter weather event in this part of the country is where the storm is located and when it reaches the cold air. That remains to be seen. Any shift in the track of the low will have a big impact on how the storm eventually plays out.
It was just last week that the Southeast was smacked by a winter storm that left behind several inches of snow.
7″ of snow has already fallen in Little Rock, AR. FOX Weather Meteorologist Jane Minar has details on travel conditions as she tracks the major winter storm moving across the South.
Stay with FOX Weather for the latest on this developing storm. Download the FOX Weather app to the forecast and alerts for your area.