Considering stepping out this weekend? You might want to reconsider.
While the winter season is ideal for staying cozy indoors and pulling out our beloved knitwear, it also brings along disruptive weather that can halt even the best-planned activities.
Starting Friday, a significant ice storm, dubbed Storm Fern, is predicted to affect millions across the U.S. This “potentially catastrophic” storm will sweep through regions from Texas and Oklahoma to the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic states, as reported by the Weather Channel.
The storm is expected to deliver ice, snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Forecasters caution that substantial ice accumulation could burden trees and power lines, potentially leading to widespread power outages and hazardous roads. Airports might also experience delays and cancellations.
Keith Avery, CEO of the Newberry Electric Cooperative in South Carolina, conveyed to the Associated Press: “If you get a half of an inch of ice — or heaven forbid an inch of ice — that could be catastrophic.”
Ryan Maue, a former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), expressed uncertainty about how people will handle this “potentially catastrophic event.”
The Weather Channel forecasts that starting Friday, parts of the Southern Plains, including Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, will experience snow, sleet, and freezing rain.
From Friday night to Saturday morning, the storm is expected to move eastward into the Tennessee Valley, Appalachians, and Carolinas.
By Saturday night into Sunday morning, its effects will extend to Georgia, South Carolina, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Northeast, while still affecting the South.
Travel in the affected regions could be extremely precarious this weekend.
Road conditions will be dangerous, particularly in southern states that have limited snow and ice management resources.
The Weather Channel notes that some roads across the South and Appalachians could become impassable over the weekend.
Significant delays and cancellations could also occur at major airports such as Dallas, Atlanta, Memphis, and Charlotte.
If you plan to fly starting Friday, it’s important to monitor updates from your airline.
Temperatures are expected to remain below freezing after the storm, which could prevent ice from melting for several days, exacerbating its impacts.
Conditions are coming together for a major winter storm to impact the eastern half of the United States late this week into this weekend, bringing extreme cold, snow, sleet, and freezing rain across a large swath of the country. pic.twitter.com/7EveWR5TiA
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) January 21, 2026
The arctic air mass from Canada is driving Storm Fern, which is predicted to move southward.
Warm, moist air from the Gulf will move over the cold air, creating the perfect conditions for freezing rain and snow.
National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Jackson explained to the AP that the clash of the air masses and rain will probably result in “a major winter storm with very impactful weather, with all the moisture coming up from the Gulf and encountering all this particularly cold air that’s spilling in”.