Potentially historic winter storm to slam much of the US with destructive ice and heavy snow

By Meteorologist Chris Dolce, CNN

(CNN) — More than half of the United States is about to face one of the most sprawling and menacing winter storms in years, one that threatens to deliver a potentially historic blow of snow and ice.

The long-lasting storm begins Friday, and by its end on Monday, will have dropped a foot or more of snow and destructive amounts of ice over its 1,500-mile path from Texas to the Northeast.

Major Northeast cities like New York and Philadelphia could get their most snow in at least four years, while major cities in the South deal with worrying amounts of ice.

More than 120 million people in two dozen states are under winter storm alerts — a number that’s expected to grow on Thursday.

Major travel disruption on roads and at airports is a given across the storm’s entire footprint, and widespread and potentially long-lasting power outages are also possible, particularly from its ice storm in the South.

Extreme and record-breaking cold will only worsen the storm and its impacts by causing snow and ice to accumulate faster on roads, making them harder to treat, and possibly leaving those that lose power shivering without heat for days.

Travel and power outage impacts could last into at least early next week for areas that see significant snow and ice totals.

Here’s the latest on the storm:

Track shifts, with huge implications

The track of this storm has become clearer and has shifted north over the past couple of days.

That shift has implicated more of the Midwest and Northeast with heavy snow while still delivering destructive ice to a large portion of the South.

Its track could still shift slightly, and that could impact the exact amounts of freezing rain, sleet and snow each area receives, with dramatic effects.

“Even small shifts could lead to large changes in local impacts,” the Weather Prediction Center said.

It all begins Friday in the Plains where the storm’s huge pool of moist air begins to clash with Arctic air. Through the weekend, the frigid temperatures will continue to feed the storm’s east and northeast expanding footprint, which covers more than two dozen states from the Plains to the South and Northeast.

The storm will finally exit New England by late Monday after spreading more snow and strong winds across the region and contributing to even more travel disruption.

Ice could knock out power to many

Damaging ice from freezing rain is the storm’s most serious threat.

Freezing rain causes ice to build up on surfaces, and its tremendous amount of added weight can bring down trees and power lines. The amount of ice in a worst-case scenario for this storm could cause many power outages, some that could be long-lasting. But power outages are expected even in the most likely scenario.

Portions of the South from northern and eastern Texas into the lower-Mississippi and Tennessee valleys, northern Georgia and parts of the Carolinas and Virginia are at greatest risk for significant icing and power outages based on the current forecast. This includes major cities such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Shreveport, Louisiana, Memphis, Tennessee, Huntsville, Alabama, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Portions of the Atlanta metro could also see impactful ice, but that’s more uncertain due to a battle between cold air coming from the north and a surge of warmer air from the south.

Travel could be brought to a standstill across major cities even with smaller amounts of ice.

Heavy snow threat from Plains to East Coast

Heavy snow will pile up for a wide area to the north of the storm’s freezing rain zone.

Snow totals are likely to range from 6 to 12 inches for parts of more than a dozen states, extending from Oklahoma and Kansas through the mid-Mississippi and Ohio valleys and into the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. Some could see more than a foot of snow.

Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma, Louisville, Kentucky, Washington, DC, and New York City are all in this snow zone. In some locations, the snow could fall at rates of an inch or more per hour at times.

Tulsa might see a foot of snow for the first time nearly 15 years. A foot of snow in Paducah, Kentucky, would be a first there since March 2015.

New York City and Philadelphia could see their first snowstorm of 6 inches or more in nearly four years.

The southern edge of the snow zone in the Plains, Midwest and South could mix with sleet or freezing rain, which complicates the forecast and makes potential snowfall totals less certain. Parts of the I-95 corridor from Washington, DC, to New York City could also mix with sleet and freezing rain after snow.

States prepare for the worst

States of emergency are in effect for at least three states – North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia – ahead of the storm.

“I encourage all North Carolinians to stay home and off the roads this weekend unless absolutely necessary so first responders can do their jobs safely and effectively,” North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said in a news release.

Crews across North Carolina, Arkansas and Texas were out treating roads and bridges, but officials warned impacts will likely linger into next week.

The long-lasting nature is why Georgia’s state of emergency last for seven days with the impending winter storm, Gov. Brian Kemp said Thursday. Kemp said he has authorized calling up 500 National Guardsman to be on standby as needed. The Georgia Department of Transportation will begin treating roads early Saturday morning.

“Take this time to secure food, fill up on gas and ensure you’re prepared for any potential loss of power,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp urged Wednesday.

In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott activated state emergency response resources on Tuesday to prepare roads, personnel and equipment before the storm. Agencies will also monitor power and natural gas utilities.

Record-breaking cold possible

The Arctic cold invasion that will feed this winter storm arrives in the Midwest and Plains Thursday into Friday and will then spread into the South and East this weekend. Dozens of locations could break daily high and low cold temperature records, especially this weekend into early next week.

Temperatures will be more than 30 degrees below average by Friday in much of the Midwest and Plains. That’s significant since mid-to-late January is when average temperatures are already at their lowest level for many locations east of the Rockies.

The worst of the cold will push into parts of the South while also spreading into the Northeast on Saturday, plunging thermometers as much as 20 to 40 degrees colder than average.

Dallas-Fort Worth could break record lows Sunday and Monday morning, possibly bottoming out in the single digits Monday. Shreveport, Louisiana, could do the same Monday and Tuesday morning as lows drop into to the teens.

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CNN Meteorologist Briana Waxman and CNN’s Ella Nilsen contributed to this report.