"The arrival of a cold and frigid arctic air mass will set the stage for a winter weather threat from south Texas to the Carolinas on Friday into Saturday," the National Weather Service said in its alert.
Major cities from Baltimore to Philadelphia, New York City and southern New England were bracing for a fast-moving but a potentially dangerous blast of wintry weather.
Across parts of New Jersey, a winter weather advisory remained in effect.
"We're not expecting heavy snow," said Dominic Ramunni, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, "But given the timing of it, it could be a nuisance, especially for commuters." Ice and snow as far south as North Carolina could result in localized slick roads Thursday night, the National Weather Service warned.
"Black ice is possible area-wide Thursday night and early Friday morning as cold air pours into central NC," the weather service said in its briefing.
A wintry mix from the Ohio Valley into the Mid-Atlantic and southern New England is expected, the weather service said.
The storm is the latest in a series of dangerous winter weather fronts to sweep across the region.
