The FOX Forecast Center is monitoring the potential for an even more powerful winter storm that could deliver snow and ice from Texas to the southeast coast by late week, after parts of Florida, Alabama and Georgia saw rare snow accumulation over the weekend.
While specific impacts haven’t completely come into focus, confidence is increasing that a developing system out of the Southwest will tap into widespread cold air that’s expected to dominate much of the country this week.
A narrow corridor of up to 3 inches of snow fell across parts of southeastern Georgia this weekend, while Marianna, Florida, in the Florida Panhandle recorded 1.3 inches of snow.
Pensacola, Florida, managed to hold on to 0.2 inches of snow.
This is the first time some places in the Panhandle have seen snow in back-to-back winter seasons.
Freeze warnings remain in effect for most of northeast and north-central Florida through Monday.
Several shots of Arctic air will spill across most of the Lower 48 this week due to a persistent dip in the jet stream.
This cold air will set the stage for the late-week winter storm brewing for much of the Southern Plains and Deep South.
The system driving the potential winter weather is forecast to move out of the Southwest sometime Friday or into the weekend.
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The southerly track of this storm will draw in moisture from the Gulf and create the potential for snow and ice.
However, the exact impact of this system will depend on its track and the amount of cold air in place, details that will become clearer later this week.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, several general outcomes are possible.
“Snow would likely develop north of the system’s track, rain would fall to the south, and a potentially impactful zone of ice could set up in between,” the FOX Forecast Center said Monday.
“It is far too early to assess the severity of any ice threat, but the pattern warrants close attention, as this is a classic setup for disruptive icing due to the combination of deep moisture and cold air.”
The FOX Forecast Center highlighted the potential for a widespread ice threat covering Texas, the Lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys, the southeastern coast and even parts of the mid-Atlantic and Washington, DC.
