(CNN) -- A major winter storm with heavy snow and ice was heading from Texas and Oklahoma to points east, with 8 to 10 inches of snow possible in some locales, the National Weather Service said Friday.
Forecasters warned of large accumulations of ice in places such as the north Georgia mountains, causing hazardous driving conditions. Ice and heavy wet snow on power lines could cause power outages.
"The precipitation will briefly transition back to light snow or flurries Saturday before ending Saturday afternoon," the weather service said.
By Friday afternoon the storm was either in or on its way to parts of Virginia, West Virginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas. Forecasters issued severe storm warnings for these states.
It already was snowing in the afternoon in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Although the snow didn't appear to be sticking, it was expected to form ice in the evening on bridges and overpasses, said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.
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"This is actually an ice event more than a snow event, not so much for Nashville, but places south of there ... from Memphis [Tennessee] to Little Rock [Arkansas], and even over to Chattanooga [Tennessee]," Myers said.
He said rain was on tap for Atlanta, Georgia, but the precipitation was to move northeastward and evolve into snow by the time it reaches Virginia and West Virginia.
The brunt of the storm stretched from Oklahoma to eastern Tennessee and down to southern Mississippi on Friday afternoon, bringing snow, sleet, freezing drizzle or rain.
Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport closed all its runways at 2:30 p.m. local time because of "deteriorating weather conditions."
"While airport maintenance crews have been working nonstop clearing the runways, heavily falling snow and near zero visibility have kept them from being able to improve conditions," an airport news release said.
It gave no prediction of when the runways could be reopened.
