A powerful winter storm that dumped heavy snow and glazed roads with ice across much of Texas and Oklahoma lumbered eastward into southern U.S. states overnight, prompting governors to declare states of emergency and shuttering schools across the region.

With the possibility of frozen precipitation in north Louisiana, area schools and government offices may announce closures as a measure of caution and to limit the amount of traffic on potentially icy roadways.

Schools and buildings from Texas to Georgia were shut down Thursday or prepared to close ahead of freezing rain and snow forecast for much of the Southern U.S. as another burst of plunging

A powerful winter storm brought heavy snow and icy conditions to parts of the U.S. South on Thursday, forcing officials to close schools, cancel flights and warn residents in some of the worst-hit areas to stay off roads as it lumbered eastward through Oklahoma and Texas.

With the possibility of frozen precipitation in southwest Arkansas, area schools and government offices may announce closures as a measure of caution and to limit the amount of traffic on potentially icy roadways.