As Winter Storm Cora barrels toward the southern US, nine states are closing schools, stocking up on supplies and preparing for dangerous roads.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued winter storm watches and warnings for large swaths of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and the entire state of Tennessee.

Snow and ice will create travel mayhem from Texas to the Carolinas and Virginia, including in and around Dallas-Fort Worth, Nashville, Atlanta and other cities, according to The Weather Channel.

AccuWeather stated that the risk of a significant ice storm could trigger widespread power outagesis increasing for parts of northeastern Texas to northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas.

‘Persons should delay travel if possible. If travel is absolutely necessary, drive with extreme caution and be prepared for sudden changes in visibility,’ the NWS advised in a Wednesday morning update.

The warning comes as a person was found frozen to death at a bus stop in Houston, Texas during a winter storm that hit earlier this week.

The heaviest snowfall will hit far northern Texas and southeast Oklahoma into Arkansas, northern Mississippi, northern Alabama, northern Georgia, southern Tennessee and extreme western North Carolina, including in Dallas and Little Rock.

‘Should 6 inches of snow fall in Dallas, it would be in the top-five snowfalls on record,’ AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin said.

Six to 12 inches of accumulation are possible for this area, according to AccuWeather.

Storm Cora is predicted to move into the South Plains Wednesday evening and linger until Thursday, with the wintry mix dissipating midday Friday.

As Winter Storm Cora barrels toward the southern US, nine states are closing schools, stocking up on supplies and preparing for dangerous roads

‘Leave plenty of room between you and the motorist ahead of you, and allow extra time to reach your destination, the agency added.

‘Avoid sudden braking or acceleration, and be especially cautious on hills or when making turns. Make sure your car is winterized and in good working order.’

South of the storm’s main band, a few inches of snow and sleet may accumulate in areas near and north of Atlanta in Georgia, Greenville in South Carolina and North Carolina’s Charlotte.

Elsewhere, light snow totals of a dusting to a few inches are expected from southern Kansas and Missouri to the Ohio Valley, the Great Lakes and the Northeast.

The storm will begin with some areas of light snow, freezing rain and sleet developing in the Southern Plains.

Parts of northern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, southern Kansas and southwestern Missouri could see snow Wednesday night into Thursday, while sleet and freezing rain may stretch from central Texas into northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas.

By Thursday, driving could be hazardous in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Little Rock and the Texas Hill Country, The Weather Channel reported.

Wintry precipitation should taper off in Texas and Oklahoma by midday Friday, but snow will spread further east into Kentucky, Tennessee, northern Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.

By Thursday, driving could be hazardous in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Little Rock and the Texas Hill Country, The Weather Channel reported.

Wintery precipitation should taper off in Texas and Oklahoma by midday Friday, but snow will spread further east into Kentucky, Tennessee, northern Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and upstate South Carolina

Heading into the weekend, the storm will move into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with areas of snow lingering near the Eastern Seaboard and in the Appalachians early Saturday

A wintery mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain could hit near and north of Interstate 20 from northern Louisiana to Georgia and South Carolina.

‘T​his could lead to treacherous travel throughout these areas, with some roads possibly becoming impassable, especially in hilly or mountainous terrain,’ meteorologists for The Weather Channel stated.

Travel will be hazardous in the cities of Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Huntsville, Little Rock, Memphis and Nashville for at least part of Friday.

Heading into the weekend, the storm will move into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with areas of snow lingering near the Eastern Seaboard and in the Appalachians early Saturday.

Especially in the early morning, travel will be difficult from northern Georgia to parts of South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.

As the weekend comes to an end, the storm will move offshore and into the Atlantic, but could track as far north as southern New England before doing so, according to AccuWeather.

A freeze warning sign stands outside of an apartment complex in North Texas as the area braces for Winter Storm Cora

Cora comes as the combined impact of the Arctic blast and Winter Storm Blair, which wreaked havoc on the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic this week (pictured)

Meanwhile, fast-moving wildfires are engulfing the Los Angeles area, triggered by a powerful Santa Ana windstorm that swept Southern California Tuesday

Winter Storm Cora comes as the eastern US faces a blast of Arctic air that will send temperatures plummeting as low as 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit below average in the first two weeks of January, according to AccuWeather.

The area most impacted by these frigid temps will be the northern Plains and Midwest to the interior Southeast.

As of Tuesday, the combined impact of the Arctic blast and Winter Storm Blair, which wreaked havoc on the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic this week, has already claimed the lives of at least six people.

The majority of these deaths were related to traffic accidents, but one victim was found frozen to death at a bus stop in Houston, Texas.

As of 10am ET Wednesday, more than 60,000 customers are still without power in Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia, according to PowerOutage.us.

Meanwhile, fast-moving wildfires are engulfing the Los Angeles area, triggered by a powerful Santa Ana windstorm that swept Southern California Tuesday.

Nearly 250,000 customers are out of power, and mandatory evacuations have been ordered for more than 80,000 people.

More than 1,400 firefighters are working to contain multiple blazes, but at this time, the fires are zero percent contained.

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Activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju has said President Bola Tinubu should have since released Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

Adeyanju in a post on X, said Tinubu’s decision to continue former President Muhammadu Buhari’s style of incarcerating Kanu is disappointing.

He wrote: “Tinubu should have released Nnamdi Kanu since.

“It is easier to criticize than to govern. This is why critics are usually bad leaders and examples abound all over the world and Africa. If in doubt, look at APC.”

More than 30,000 people are under evacuation orders in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles after a wildfire picked up by extreme winds tore through the area on Tuesday evening.

Los Angeles fire chief said 10,000 homes are under threat of being destroyed by the blaze in the affluent area which is dotted by celebrity residences.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said that he found “many structures already destroyed” during a visit to the impacted area, although assessed it was too early to see the extent of the damage.

Winds were expected to increase overnight in what the National Weather service has warned could be among the most “life threatening” and strongest to hit Southern California in over a decade. The winds are fanning two fires in the Palisades and another about 40 kilometres northeast in Atladena, which has also prompted evacuation orders.

By Wednesday morning, the fire department reported a growing third fire in the area of Pasadena.

Celebrities took to social media to describe their experience of the fire, with actor James Woods posting footage of flames burning through bushes and palm trees near his home. “Standing in my driveway, getting ready to evacuate,” Woods said in the short video on X, before posting a video of flames outside his pool.

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill posted an update, saying he managed to escape his residence last minute and saw “small fires on both side of the roads.”

Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday and indicated the worst might be yet to come, with strong winds expected overnight on Tuesday.

The Pacific Palisades fire has consumed around 11.5 squre kilometres of land in the Pacific Palisades neighbourdhood, located in western Los Angeles.

The fires also prompted clogged roads as residents fled to evacuate, with some jumping out of their vehicles to get out of danger.

Outgoing US President Joe Biden said he and his team are communicating with state and local officials and he has offered “any federal assistance that is needed to help suppress the terrible Pacific Palisades fire.”

Some trees and vegetation on the grounds of the Getty Villa however Getty President Katherine Fleming said the museum collection remained safe. The museum is a separate part of the world-famous Getty museum that focuses on the art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards canceled its live in-person nominations announcement due to the wildfires, which will take place online instead, the organisation said in a statement.

Film studios also canceled two movie premieres due to the fire and windy weather, and the Los Angeles Unified School District said it temporarily relocated students from three campuses in the Pacific Palisades area.

Recent dry winds and a long-term lack of rain have contributed to temperatures above average in Southern California.