A snowstorm could cause widespread disruptions next week from the southern Plains to the Interstate 95 corridor in the Northeast, AccuWeather meteorologists say. Should the storm develop to its full potential, it could deliver the biggest snowfall of the winter for millions of Americans.

"The brewing snowstorm will have two key pieces associated with it, "AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathon Porter said. "Those being a fresh injection of Arctic air and the fact that it will be the caboose in the long train of February storms as the last storm in a series is often the strongest."

As warmth lingers in the southeastern corner of the nation, a frigid batch of air from northern Canada will invade the Plains, Midwest and Northeast next week. In some cases, the cold air could rival some of the lowest temperatures already experienced this winter.

The outbreak of Arctic air will set up lake-effect snow early in the new week.

A storm at the jet stream level of the atmosphere over the Midwest will be a significant part of the storm setup. Should this storm join forces with a second storm traveling from the Northwest this weekend to the southern Plains early next week, heavy snow will unfold in the East. Meteorologists refer to this setup as "phasing," and when this occurs, some of the biggest storms unfold in the Northeast with all the wind and precipitation associated with a nor'easter.

But even if both storms remain separate, a stripe of light to moderate snow is still likely to extend from the southern Plains to part of the Atlantic coast. The timing and advance of the snow will depend on where the second storm reforms after crossing the Rockies.

"There appear to be two main areas where there is the potential for 6 or more inches of snow to fall," Porter said. "One area is in portions of Kansas and Oklahoma due to the dry and powdery nature of the snow and the other extends from the central Appalachians to coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic and New England, where there will be plenty of Gulf and Atlantic moisture available."

Should the storm end up being weaker, it would take more of a southern track, which could bring some snow or a wintry mix followed by a freeze-up to areas as far south as portions of the I-20 corridor of the Southern states.

The storm could rival that of prior moderate to heavy snowfalls in portions of Oklahoma and Kansas during early to middle January.

Depending on the intensity of the storm as it moves away from the U.S. East coast, a period of strong winds and fierce cold may follow from the Great Lakes to the Northeast later next week. Such a scenario would hold back the daytime temperatures moderating trend driven largely by strong February sunshine for the Central and Southeast states.

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