The Tennessee Valley could see some of the heaviest snowfall, with 6 inches expected on Friday. A wide swath of the country is under winter weather warnings and advisories and will see impacts including "widespread closures, treacherous travel, scattered power outages, and downed branches," the weather service said.

Snow, sleet and freezing rain predicted to fall throughout the day Thursday could spell delays at Dallas airports.

Any wintry precipitation in Oklahoma and Texas should end by midday. Snow will spread from the Mid-South region into Kentucky, Tennessee, far northern parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia into North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.