Winter storms and extreme cold are forecast to wallop the U.S. with snow and ice through the weekend. Prepare for power outages and transportation issues.

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A change in the weather is on the way as a cold front moves through the region tonight into Monday morning. While this front will bring a chance for some showers and maybe a brief thunderstorm, it looks to be a mostly dry system overall.

Friday’s cold front brings in much colder air to Central Texas for Saturday. We expect a freeze in the Hill Country Saturday morning. Highs on Saturday will only reach the 50s. Saturday night into Sunday morning will bring a widespread freeze and likely our coldest morning of the winter season so far.

Stay updated with the KENS 5 Weather Team on this severe weather development and how it impacts you.

Rain chances return to Houston this week as a cold front arrives, bringing the area its best chance of widespread rainfall in weeks.

Clouds above the surge of cold air will suppress daytime warmth, so an extended stretch of freezing temps is possible this weekend both day and night.

Two back-to-back cold fronts are expected to sweep across Florida this week and weekend, bringing with it near-freezing morning temperatures to parts of Orlando and Central Florida. Near the Florida-Georgia state line,

Much of Texas has faced challenging winter weather this month, including snowstorms, and meteorologists have warned that the forecast thunderstorms could produce damaging winds and hail. The severe weather may create unsafe travel conditions for people in the affected areas.