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

From Jan. 8-11, forecasters say a winter storm is going to impact a huge swath of the U.S., from heavy snow in Texas to wintry weather in the mid-Atlantic.