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 temperatures and winter storms threatened to again snarl travel.

A developing winter storm is threatening to drop snow, sleet and freezing rain on parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas

Brutal cold will open the door for a winter storm to take a somewhat unusual track through the South and create treacherous travel conditions.