Winter is in full swing across the U.S., and the next winter storm could cause significant headaches for the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the Southern Plains on Thursday and Friday.

The ingredients for this winter storm will come together over the next several days and cause major travel headaches. Here is a rundown:

Cold Air

The arctic air that arrived over the weekend and caused temperatures to plummet well below freezing will stick around through the end of the week. Sub-freezing temperatures will keep the atmosphere primed for snow, sleet, and freezing rain.

Winter storm development

Upper-level energy moving northward from northern Mexico will jump across the Rio Grande on Thursday. Tapping Gulf of Mexico moisture, a low-pressure system will quickly develop along the Gulf of Mexico Coast and move eastward into the Southeast later Friday.

Snow, freezing rain and severe storms

Southern winter storms like this one can produce heavy snow, significant icing, and severe thunderstorms, all within several hundred miles of each other.

As the WeatherRadar shows, heavy snow will be possible across northern Texas, including Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa eastward into the Ozarks and the Tennessee Valley. Total accumulations are still hard to pin down, but more than 3 inches will be possible near Dallas and more than 6 inches in Oklahoma and the Ozarks.

Sleet and freezing rain will be possible in a thin corridor between the snow and the heavy rain expected across southern Texas, the Texas and central Gulf Coast. Within the heavy rain, lines of thunderstorms could produce damaging winds, significantly closer to the Gulf Coast and across the Southeast on Friday.

Weather & Radar meteorologists will track this latest winter storm and provide updates in the Weather Mews section over the next several days. Be sure to have Winter Weather Alerts turned on too.