Tracking the winter storm: Dangerous ice to paralyze the South, snow heading to Northeast

(NEW YORK) — More than 120 million people are on alert for a brutal storm that’s going to bring dangerous ice and snow to the South, bitter cold to the Midwest, and a massive snowfall to the Northeast.

South

The storm moves into the South on Friday afternoon. By the evening, Dallas will see a wintry mix and Oklahoma and Kansas will get some snow.

On Saturday morning, the temperature is forecast to fall to 27 degrees in Dallas; 8 degrees in Oklahoma City; 14 degrees in Little Rock, Arkansas; and 19 degrees in Nashville, Tennessee.

As temperatures drop on Saturday, extremely dangerous snow and ice will move in from Dallas to Little Rock to Memphis, Tennessee.

Residents should be prepared for dangerous travel conditions and widespread power outages, which could leave people without electricity or heat.

The lack of heat will be very dangerous in several major cities — including Dallas, Little Rock and Memphis — where the bitter cold is expected to continue well after the storm passes.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he was activating state emergency response resources, saying the freezing rain, sleet and snow “could create hazardous travel conditions into the weekend and cause impacts to infrastructure.”

By Saturday afternoon, the snow and ice could stretch as far east as Georgia and the Carolinas.

The governors of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina have declared states of emergency.

Midwest

This unforgiving arctic blast will strike the Midwest late Thursday into Friday, bringing extremely dangerous temperatures.

On Friday morning, the wind chill — what temperature it feels like — is forecast to plunge to minus 39 degrees in Minneapolis, minus 32 in Chicago and minus 39 in Madison and Green Bay, Wisconsin. In these conditions, frostbite can develop in just 10 minutes.

Northeast

The brutal cold will strike the Northeast on Friday night, with below-freezing temperatures expected for New York City and Philadelphia.

Then on Sunday, the storm will hit the Northeast, bringing likely plowable snow from Washington, D.C., to New York City to Boston. 

The snow totals are not yet clear, but by the Monday morning commute, 6 to 12 inches is possible in some areas.

Airline travel alerts

Many airlines are issuing travel alerts and waiving rebooking fees ahead of the storm.

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have waived rebooking fees, allowing passengers to rebook their flights at no additional cost. 

United has issued travel waivers for cities expected to be affected, allowing those who bought tickets on or before Tuesday to rebook without a fee if their travel is affected.

Southwest said it’s monitoring the weather and will issue any advisories or make any changes as needed. 

ABC News’ Ayesha Ali contributed to this report.