Winter Storm Cora will wring out snow and ice over a large swath of the South from Texas to Virginia through Friday night, including from Dallas-Ft. Worth and Little Rock to Nashville, Atlanta and Charlotte. The wintry mess will likely snarl travel and in some cases icing could be heavy enough to cause scattered power outages.
(MORE: Cora Maps Tracker | Winter Storm Names 2024-2025)
Cora’s Latest Status And Alerts
The winter storm is producing a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain over parts of several southern states, as depicted in the radar snapshot below.
Up to 6 inches of snow has already fallen in parts of the Texas Panhandle, far eastern New Mexico and southern Oklahoma. Up to 4 to 5 inches of snow has piled up in the far northern suburbs of Dallas-Ft. Worth. Both Oklahoma City and Norman have reported around 2 inches, so far.
Current Radar
Various winter weather alerts, including winter storm warnings and advisories are shown in the map below from the Southern Plains to the Southeast. Those winter alerts are in effect in Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Oklahoma City and Raleigh.
Expect dangerous travel conditions, delays and closures in some of these areas from this storm, especially in the darker teal areas.
(MORE: First 1-Inch Snowfall In Years In Southeast)
Winter Weather Alerts
Forecast Timing
Thursday
-
Parts of northern and western Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, southern Kansas and southwestern Missouri will see snow Thursday.
-
A band of sleet and freezing rain may stretch from central and northern Texas into southern Arkansas.
-
Driving could be hazardous Thursday in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Little Rock and the Texas Hill Country.
Friday
-
Any wintry precipitation in Oklahoma and Texas should end by midday.
-
Snow will spread from the Mid-South region into Kentucky, Tennessee, far northern parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia into North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.
-
Areas just south of this main band of snow might see a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain, generally near and north of Interstate 20 from Alabama to Georgia and South Carolina.
-
This could lead to treacherous travel throughout these areas, with some roads possibly becoming impassable, especially in hilly or mountainous terrain.
-
Metro areas that could see wintry travel conditions for at least a part of Friday include Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Huntsville, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville.
-
Lighter snow from this system could also slicken travel as far north as the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes. That snow will spread into the mid-Atlantic and parts of the Northeast Friday night.
Saturday
-
The storm will be departing the East, but some areas of snow may linger near the Eastern Seaboard, as well as in the Appalachians, especially early.
-
Some light sleet or freezing rain may also linger early in the morning in parts of far eastern North Carolina.
-
Travel could be challenging from snow and ice that has already fallen from the Tennessee Valley to the Delmarva Peninsula, especially early.
Snow And Ice Forecast Amounts
-
From far northern Texas and southeast Oklahoma into Arkansas, northern Mississippi, northern Alabama, far northern Georgia, Tennessee and extreme western North Carolina, moderate snow accumulations are expected. In some areas that means up 5 inches could pile up. Locally higher totals approaching 10 inches are possible from around Memphis westward to Arkansas, southeast Oklahoma and far northern Texas.
-
To the south of there, the wintry mix complicates the forecast totals for snowfall, but an inch or two of snow and sleet could pile up in some areas near and north of cities like Atlanta, Greenville, South Carolina, and Charlotte. Most of these area will then likely change to freezing rain.
-
Elsewhere, snow totals of a dusting to a few inches are expected from southern Kansas and Missouri to the Ohio Valley and East.
(MORE: Why Snowfall Forecast Sometimes Change)
-
Accumulating sleet or freezing rain is possible from central and northern Texas to northern Georgia and the Carolinas, generally in the pink-shaded areas below.
-
This will be enough to make roads hazardous and travel is discouraged. In addition, there is a chance freezing rain accumulations might be heavy enough in spots to cause scattered power outages in the Akr-La-Tex region and from around Atlanta into the Carolinas.
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.