NORFOLK, Va. — A developing winter storm threatens to drop snow, sleet and freezing rain on parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas as frigid air that escaped the Arctic plunges temperatures to subfreezing levels in some of the southernmost points of the U.S.

National Weather Service meteorologists predicted wintry precipitation across the southern Plains region starting Wednesday night, with snow likely in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Farther south, snow could transition to sleet and freezing rain, which meteorologists warn could result in hazardous driving conditions.

An arctic blast descended on much of the U.S. east of the Rockies over the weekend, causing hundreds of car accidents and thousands of flight cancellations and delays. Several communities set up warming shelters this week, including one at a roller rink in Cincinnati and another in the Providence, Rhode Island, City Council chambers.

As the cold front moved south, a cold weather advisory was issued for the Gulf Coast and pushed the low temperature in El Paso, along the Texas border with Mexico, to 31 degrees (minus 0.5 Celsius). The National Weather Service predicted a wind chill factor ranging from 0 to 15 degrees (minus 18 to minus 9 Celsius) early Wednesday.

The polar vortex of ultra-cold air usually spins around the North Pole, but it sometimes ventures south into the U.S., Europe and Asia. Some experts say such cold air outbreaks are happening more frequently, paradoxically, because of a warming world.

As points north and east dug out of snow and ice Tuesday, communities in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas were preparing. In Texas, crews treated the roads in the Dallas area amid forecasts of 1 to 3 inches (about 3 to 8 centimeters) of snow on Thursday, along with sleet and rain. National Weather Service meteorologist Sam Shamburger said up to 5 inches (13 centimeters) of snow was expected farther north near the Oklahoma line.

Kevin Oden, Dallas’ director of emergency management and crisis response, said Tuesday, “Our city is in a preparedness phase.”

The storm could make roads slick Friday as 75,000 fans head to AT&T Stadium in Arlington to see Texas play Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Arlington spokesperson Susan Shrock said crews are ready to address any hazardous road conditions around the stadium.

“They’re going to have the salt brine, they’ll have sand and they’ll have equipment on standby,” she said.

A Tuesday night statement from AT&T Stadium and the Cotton Bowl said officials have been meeting with city and transportation officials and that “plans are in place to assure a safe environment for everyone in and around AT&T Stadium on game day.”

Parts of southeastern Georgia and northern Florida endured unusually frigid temperatures overnight into Tuesday and were under freeze warnings into Wednesday.

In northern Florida, with Valentine’s Day just a month away, the main concern for growers fearful of cold weather is the fern crop used for floral arrangements.

Major damage to citrus trees, which typically occurs when temperatures drop to 28 degrees (minus 2 degrees Celsius) or below for several hours, was less likely. Florida’s commercial citrus groves are primarily south of the central part of the peninsula.

An area stretching from the central Plains through the Ohio Valley into the mid-Atlantic region is likely to receive more snow and ice for a few days, which could cause the ground covering to melt and refreeze to form treacherous black ice on roadways, forecasters said.

Hundreds of car accidents were reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky earlier this week, and a state trooper was treated for injuries after his patrol car was hit.

Three people died in vehicle crashes in Virginia, according to state police. Other weather-related fatal accidents occurred Sunday near Charleston, West Virginia, and Monday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Kansas, where over a foot (30 centimeters) of snow fell in places, had two deadly weekend crashes.

Nearly 100,000 customers remained without power Tuesday night in states to the east of Kansas including Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us. That was down from more than 200,000 earlier in the day.

More than 5,000 flights into or out of the U.S. were delayed Tuesday, according to tracking platform FlightAware. On Monday, more than 2,300 flights were canceled and at least 9,100 more were delayed.

Virginia’s state Capitol and General Assembly buildings will stay closed Wednesday after a weather-related power outage caused a malfunction in the water system, officials said Monday. The closure postponed lawmakers’ first working day of the legislative session. A boil-water notice that was issued for Richmond’s 200,000 residents could be lifted Wednesday, Mayor Danny Avula said.

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Fingerhut reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press reporters Bruce Schreiner in Shelbyville, Kentucky; Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky; Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland; Julie Walker in New York; Joshua A. Bickel in Cincinnati; Jamie Stengle in Dallas; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Michael Schneider in Orlando; Michael Casey in Boston; Hallie Golden in Seattle; and Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington, contributed.

Oklahoma State’s transfers have ended all over the country, including a growing number of former Cowboys in Norman.

Bedlam football has been one of the hottest topics in the state of Oklahoma over the past few years. With the Sooners’ move to the SEC, the century-long rivalry came to a screeching halt in 2024. With neither side eager to cater to the other’s needs to renew the rivalry, its resumption is unlikely anytime in the near future.

While there is no doubt the fans on each side are still invested in the rivalry, and the fun hatred of college rivalries is still alive, the lack of any matchups on the schedule could contribute to the recent transfer portal phenomenon. Over the past few years, multiple key players for OSU have made the move to Norman.

Trace Ford was a high-profile move after the 2022 season and even talked trash about his former team ahead of OSU’s win in 2023. While he still had to play against his former school in an intense environment, none of the players who make the same move have that challenge anymore.

Kendal Daniels became the most recent player to transfer from OSU to OU, and some outlets have predicted that OSU’s latest portal entry, Jeff Roberson, could be taking the same path. For players so intertwined with Cowboy football and the OSU program, it would’ve been unheard of for players to make this type of move in years prior.

Considering the teams no longer match up, the rivalry becomes almost a non-factor in these moves. Instead, it has become a matter of a player wanting a different situation but still staying close to home, as Daniels and Roberson are both Oklahoma natives. It has even gone the other way as well, with Gavin Freeman and Kalib Hicks making the transition from OU to Stillwater over the past couple of years. 

Conference realignment and the transfer portal have had a significant impact on basically every part of college football, and players transferring to their former school’s biggest rivals is something that won’t be going away.

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NORMAN — After the transfer portal’s winter window closed, Oklahoma’s losses outweigh its gains.

So far, the Sooners have seen 26 players from the 2024 roster enter the portal while picking up 14 newcomers.

OU has bolstered its class in recent days, picking up a few players from power four conferences. The Sooners snagged wide receiver Josiah Martin from Cal a few days before gaining commitments from Florida State defensive end Marvin Jones Jr. and Oklahoma State linebacker Kendal Daniels.

Jones and Daniels are Oklahoma’s first two defensive additions. Per 247 Sports, Oklahoma currently has the No. 14 portal class nationally and the ninth-best class in the SEC.

Here are a few areas the Sooners still need help:

With just two defensive commitments from the transfer portal, every defensive position can use reinforcements — but cornerback is one that stands out.

The Sooners won’t have 2024 senior cornerback Woodi Washington or portal departure Kani Walker next year, leaving one starting spot open. On the other side is rising sophomore Eli Bowen, who broke out with 20 solo tackles, two tackles for loss, four pass breakups and an interception in 2024.

While the Sooners largely improved defensively in 2024, the secondary is an area that struggled.

Report: Oklahoma Lands Key Defensive Transfer From In-State Rival

OU finished 43rd nationally in passing defense, allowing 203.2 passing yards per contest. The Sooners also averaged just 0.7 passes intercepted per game, which was tied for 91st in the nation.

OU already has a safety group with significant experience and production under its belt. Safety Robert Spears-Jennings finished tied for sixth in the nation with four forced fumbles in 2024, and Peyton Bowen notched 33 total tackles this year.

Adding a ballhawk cornerback to that group could greatly bolster OU’s pass defense.

With Damonic Williams, Gracen Halton and Jayden Jackson all slotted to return in 2025, the Sooners have plenty of experience on the interior of their defensive line. Williams and Halton both played more than 400 snaps in 2024, while Jackson was just below that at 387.

Still, adding another pass rusher wouldn’t hurt for the Sooners.

The Sooners made a splash at the defensive end position on Monday by picking up a commitment from Jones, who logged four forced fumbles and a sack in 2024. Jones will pair with R Mason Thomas — who recently announced that he’ll play for OU in 2025 and wait on the NFL — on the other end.

Williams and Halton have Pro Football Focus defensive grades above 70, while Jackson’s is just below at 69.7. This means that, in addition to significant experience in 2024, that position group has a lot of skill.

While everyone is waiting for 5-star David Stone to explode into the lineup, adding another piece to the mix would make OU’s defensive line even saltier.

OU’s addition of Daniels through the transfer portal significantly bolsters the linebacker group. But it wouldn’t hurt to add another to the corps.

The Sooners will be without All-American Danny Stutsman, who was a senior in 2024. They also lost linebackers Dasan McCullough and Lewis Carter to the transfer portal.

2024-25 Oklahoma Transfer Portal Tracker

Kobie McKinzie and Kip Lewis have both played key roles on OU’s defense in each of the last two seasons, and they should do the same in 2025. But aside from those two and Daniels, there isn’t a whole lot of experience at the position.

Adding one more experienced linebacker to the mix would give the Sooners one of the deepest linebacker rooms in the SEC.