More than 20 million people are in the path of a major storm that is threatening to slam into the southern US states bringing snow, ice and flooding.
Officials have put winter storm watches and warnings in place from New Mexico to North Carolina and some areas are forecast to get more than a foot of snow in the coming days.
Governor Roy Cooper has urged people living in North Carolina to take the storm seriously and “get ready for it now.”
The Met Office said: “A potent winter storm will affect parts of the USA this weekend with heavy rain, snow and the potentially for freezing rain.”
More than seven inches of rain is forecast in parts of the USA and severe flooding is expected.
Airline passengers at major hubs including Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Atlanta look set for significant delays.
Very heavy rainfall and flooding will be a big threat with this storm, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson.
Arkansas and western Tennessee is facing heavy rain and up to six inches of snow in places. Significant snow is affected across eastern Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas.
Gov Cooper said in a statement: "Snow may be beautiful but it can also be treacherous and I urge North Carolinians to take this storm seriously and get ready for it now."
Record snow could fall in parts of North Carolina in what the National Weather Service has described as a “once-in-a-generation-event”. Cities like Winston-Salem, Asheville, Greensboro and Charlotte could get a foot of snow and some blizzard conditions.
Texas was facing the threat of flash flooding with rainfall expected to total between six and eight inches in San Antonio and Houston.
