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Winter weather: Freezing conditions put 31 million under cold alerts
The next winter storm to hit the country will affect Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas and is due to hit Thursday before traversing the country Saturday.
Winter storm watches are now up for parts of northern Texas, southern Oklahoma and much of Arkansas, including the major metro areas of Dallas and Little Rock.
Between 3 and 6 inches of snow is expected for this region.
Dallas only needs 4 inches to crack into its top 10 snowiest days on record. Even a few inches of snow across the Dallas metro area could have crippling impacts.
Snow and ice are likely across the southern Plains and the Southeast, but who sees snow versus ice and how much will depend on the ultimate track of the storm.
Major Southern metro areas that are likely to see some form of wintry weather Thursday and Friday include: Dallas, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Birmingham, Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh.
Major metros in the South that have less confidence in seeing wintry weather but could get the icy side of the storm include San Antonio, Austin, Shreveport, Jackson and Columbia, South Carolina.
Beyond Friday, there is high uncertainty on where the storm goes after impacting the Southeast.