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

An area stretching from Texas to Tennessee braced Wednesday for the possible arrival of freezing rain and snow even as some parts of the U.S. hit by the plunging polar vortex this week began to shake off its icy effects.

Our chilly weather could bring freezing rain and snow to parts of the Hill Country and I-35 corridor, local forecasters say. Why it matters: A polar vortex hauling arctic air from Canada down across the U.