Snow in Florida? Winter storm could coat Texas in snow, ice next week before spreading across South
Parts of the typically sunny and warm Gulf Coast could see snow and ice next week as a winter storm moves across the region.
Winter storm could target South from Texas to Florida next week
Places from Houston to New Orleans to Jacksonville could be impacted by a major winter storm next week. FOX Weather Meteorologist Michael Estime has the forecast.
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.
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.
Heavy snow moving across Arkansas, southern states during major winter storm
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.
Texas already preparing
The news of cold paired with winter weather has some in Texas thinking back to the Great Texas Freeze of 2021. More than 200 people died during the storm and subsequent arctic blast. An investigation found that power plants were not properly winterized, which led to dayslong blackouts in parts of the state.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the power grid in the state, issued a Weather Watch from Jan. 20-23 because of the winter weather and the expected increase in electrical demand.
"Grid conditions are expected to be normal during an ERCOT Weather Watch," the agency said Friday.
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. Oncor, the energy provider for the Dallas area, said it is also prepared for outages during the extreme cold if they occur.
Houston officials said warming centers will open Sunday evening.