Colossal winter storm to clobber the South and East with dangerous snow and ice

American Airlines has announced it is waiving change fees ahead of this weekend's storm. The waiver affects flights at 34 airports from the Southwest to the Mid-Atlantic.

Click here to read the latest information on the waiver.

Considering that the pieces of energy that will drive this storm are still thousands of miles away, that means it's still way too early to have much confidence on how much snow will fall at any given location.

Based on all available data, confidence is increasing that a significant winter storm will lash a large chunk of America starting on Friday. But the finer details - how much snow will fall, where the most will accumulate, who will see the most impacts - are yet to be resolved. Forecasters are closely monitoring multiple ingredients that must come together at the right time and in the right place to produce widespread snow and ice. Right now, it appears that those ingredients will indeed collide over the eastern half of the U.S., dropping heavy snow and ice across nearly two dozen states.

Bottom line: stay tuned for critical updates as the finer details become clearer in the next 48 hours.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) says based on expected weather conditions, there will be sufficient generation to meet demand. ERCOT says it will continue to deploy all available resources to manage the grid reliably and coordinate closely with the Public Utility Commission, generation providers, and transmission utilities. According to its website, ERCOT manages the flow of electric power to more than 27 million Texas customers, representing about 90% of the state’s electric load.

Based on current forecasts, the State of Texas is acting to ensure Texans have the resources they need before severe winter weather impacts communities across Texas. As temperatures could drop below freezing and regions of Texas face snow, ice, and freezing rain, it is crucial that Texans remain weather-aware, check DriveTexas.org before traveling, and heed the guidance of state and local officials. I thank emergency management personnel and first responders for working tirelessly to keep Texans safe.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that he directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to activate state emergency response resources ahead of Friday's expected winter storm.

The timing of how this low pressure moves is going to in turn factor into how long we are expecting potential impacts. WPC has informed us that they plan to do reconnaissance on this low pressure system to hopefully give us a clearer picture into this event.

The Weather Prediction Center says it has scheduled airborne reconnaissance to better sample the atmosphere around this week's developing winter storm. The Hurricane Hunters don't just fly into hurricanes. The team is often tasked with flying into impactful winter storms and atmospheric rivers to give forecasters and computer forecast models a more clear sense as to how the system is developing in real-time. This vital data has proven to improve forecasts.

The FOX Forecast Center has issued its first power outage forecast ahead of this weekend's major winter storm. It calls for widespread power outages across a dozen states from Texas to the Carolinas through Sunday. With significant ice accumulating in these areas, power lines could come down, taking out power to thousands of people.

A dangerous accumulation of ice could lead to widespread power outages across the South later this week. The latest ice forecast from the FOX Forecast Center shows more than .50 inch of ice accumulating from the Ark-La-Tex to the Southeast. That ice buildup on power lines could create widespread, lasting power outages with temperatures expected to remain below freezing into next week.

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth/Dallas has issued a Winter Storm Watch for all of north and central Texas from Friday afternoon through Saturday night. The watch warns that "roads, especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become dangerous. Significant ice accumulation on power lines and tree limbs may cause power outages. Extreme cold will become life threatening and likely damage unprotected pipes and put livestock at risk."

The first winter storm alerts have been issued ahead of the late week winter storm. The National Weather Service in Norman, OK has issued a Winter Storm Watch for most of the Sooner State and parts of Arkansas and Texas from Friday afternoon through Saturday night. It warns that travel could become difficult with significant snow and ice accumulating across the region. Additional alerts are now being issued by neighboring NWS offices.

This weekend's developing winter storm could be one for the record books. Heavy snow is expected to accumulate from New Mexico to Arkansas to North Carolina to New York. More than 25 states could see more than a half foot of snow once all is said and done early next week.

A sneaky layer of warm air could spell big trouble for the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex on Friday. While most of the atmosphere is expected to be below freezing, a shallow layer of warm air at around 10,000 ft. may make for a wintry mess. As snow falls into that layer, it will melt into a raindrop. But as that raindrop reaches the ground, it will refreeze thanks to freezing temperatures at and near the surface. That's a recipe for freezing rain - rain that falls to the earth and freezes on contact creating ice.

Meteorologists in the FOX Forecast Center are analyzing new computer forecast model pouring in right now. Updates on the developing winter storm will be out this afternoon.

This weekend's winter storm won't just be a problem for millions in the South. Forecasters are putting the I-95 corridor on alert from the Carolinas to New York for a significant snow. The FOX Forecast Center says there is lower confidence in snow totals for the Mid-Atlantic due to the unknown evolution of this weekend's storm. As of now, the potential for heavy snow is greater farther south: Roanoke, VA to Washington. But places like New York and Philadelphia aren't out of the woods - the threat for significant snow has increased in the past 24 hours.

The FOX Forecast Center says there is a significant threat of freezing rain and sleet from this weekend's winter storm, enough to cripple travel in multiple states. The latest forecast from FOX Weather shows more than a half inch of ice could accumulate across North Georgia and the Carolinas. That's enough ice to take down power lines, turn roads into an ice rink, and disrupt travel for thousands flying into the world's busiest airport: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

While parts of Florida and Georgia saw snow last weekend, they'll miss out this go around. The latest forecast data suggests communities along and south of I-20 will not see snow. However, it's not all good news. The Interstate 20 corridor from Louisiana to Georgia will likely face a prolonged period of sleet, freezing rain, and/or a wintry mix.

All the ingredients are coming together for what could be a colossal winter storm. What has been missing in recent weeks is a well-timed upper-level disturbance or a true impulse of energy capable of pulling in deep moisture, aligning with sufficient cold air. That changes with a new player entering the pattern: an upper-level disturbance forecast to move out of the West and either interact with, or merge into, a pronounced dip in the jet stream that is ushering in the cold air. As the disturbance moves east, it is expected to draw in abundant moisture from the Gulf of America, which will have little choice but to interact with the pre-existing cold air. Where this setup ultimately comes together remains uncertain, but areas from the Southern Plains into the Southeast are at risk.

A lot of questions still remain as to how this system will evolve as it moves east and the extent of its moisture shield. Does the system track far enough south to keep the East Coast out of play? Does it move farther north, spreading impacts into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast? Or, could it evolve into a larger coastal storm next week? New forecast data coming in every few hours will help answer these questions.

While snow is expected across many areas, there is a growing concern for dangerous ice in the Plains and South. Communities along I-35 in Texas and I-20 from Dallas to Jackson, MS could see significant sleet and freezing rain through the weekend. With more than a half inch of ice possible in the Ark-La-Tex region, widespread power outages are a major threat. The ice would also cause big problems for drivers, crippling travel in the area.

Meteorologists in the FOX Forecast Center say it's too early to determine exactly where the heaviest snow will fall later this week, but they're honing in on a few areas at risk for the worst weather. Right now, computer forecast models show the worst snow falling north of Interstate 20. Of particular note is I-35 from Oklahoma City to Dallas where more than a foot of snow could fall starting as early as Friday morning and ending Sunday.