In Atlanta, where public schools were closed, forecasters expect freezing rain and up to three inches of snow starting Friday morning. With the northern half of Georgia under a winter storm warning, Gov. Brian P. Kemp declared a state of emergency on Thursday because of the forecast and said it would be in place through Tuesday.

Several inches of snow, as well as a mix of freezing rain and sleet, are possible in major Southeast cities such as Atlanta, Georgia, as a winter storm barrels across the region through Saturday.

A winter storm that is producing snowy and icy weather across the southern Plains on Thursday will take aim at the Southeast, mid-Atlantic and Northeast by Friday.