States already blasted by snow and ice storms this month were girding Tuesday for more severe weather through the weekend.
Sub-zero temperatures in northern Midwest cities and 80-degree temperatures along the Gulf Coast combined to put elements in place for a frontal boundary to develop across the eastern U.S., per CNN.
"The front that is bringing all this cold air from the Arctic is also punching the eastern U.S. with a few bouts of winter weather before it is all said and done," CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said.
The Midwest and parts of the Northeast, hit by February frigid cold and blizzards already, were expected to see storms that could leave another 6 to 12 inches of snow in the Mid-Atlantic states.
Winter storm watches were implemented across more than half a dozen states, from Arkansas to West Virginia, and affecting nearly 10 million people.
Cities that already had received significant snow, such as Chicago, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and New York, could get more.
Parts of the mid-Mississippi and Ohio Valleys could experience significant ice accumulations.
Travel across the region likely will be difficult, with as much as half to three-quarters of an inch of ice possible for cities such as Springfield, Missouri; Evansville, Indiana; and Louisville, Kentucky, through Thursday.
"This winter storm will be the one that could potentially pose the most danger for people," Guy said. "The storm will develop by pulling moisture out of the Gulf and a low developing in the lower Mississippi Valley, with rain and storms along the Gulf Coast and freezing precipitation falling for parts of eastern Texas and Oklahoma."
Gulf Coast states, expected to be on the warmer side of the storm system, likely will be impacted by showers and thunderstorms.
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