Brutal cold will open the door for a winter storm to take a somewhat unusual track through the South and create treacherous travel conditions.

National Weather Service meteorologists predicted wintry precipitation across the southern Plains region starting Wednesday night, with snow likely in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Farther south, snow could transition to sleet and freezing rain,

A winter weather system moving through the Gulf States will bring light snow to parts of Missouri and Illinois on Friday, though the system is expected to have minimal impact compared to recent storms. Brutal cold will open the door for a winter storm to take a somewhat unusual track through the South and create treacherous travel conditions.

At least some areas of light snow, sleet and freezing rain or drizzle may develop in the Southern Plains Wednesday night. Parts of northern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, southern Kansas and southwestern Missouri are forecast to see snow. A band of sleet and freezing rain may stretch from central Texas into northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas.

Dallas-Fort Worth and other parts of the state are under a winter storm watch as North Texas braces for the arrival of snow and a wintry mix. The National Weather Service issued the watch from early Thursday through at least 6 p.

Another winter storm is brewing and expected to bring snow, ice and freezing rain to many areas in the East and South. Some power outages and travel disruptions are possible, but for many in the South,