Snow, freezing rain and rain are underway in the southern Plains as a potent winter storm strengthens Thursday.

A powerful storm that dumped heavy snow and glazed roads with ice across Texas and Oklahoma lumbered eastward into southern states, prompting governors to declare states of emergency.

A developing winter storm is threatening to drop snow, sleet and freezing rain on parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas

With the Midwest and mid-Alantic still digging out from a major winter storm, another one is forecast to sweep across the South and eastern United States this week, bringing snow, sleet and freezing rain from Texas through the Carolinas.

Freezing rain and snow was forecasted to move into the southern U.S. Wednesday, setting up days of bad weather from Texas to the U.S. East Coast.

An area stretching from Texas to Tennessee braced Wednesday for the possible arrival of freezing rain and snow even as some parts of the U.S. hit by the plunging polar vortex this week began to shake off its icy effects.

A winter storm watch will be posted for parts of southeastern Oklahoma beginning Thursday afternoon and ending early Friday morning. Additional watches are also posted for a large area of the north TX region,