A winter storm had blanketed much of Arkansas in snow by Thursday evening while leaving residents in southern parts of the state coping with a mix of ice and rain.

Most of the state has a chance of some winter precipitation arriving late this week.With cold air in place across Arkansas, the missing ingredient at this time

At least 46 million people were under a winter storm warning as of Thursday as the storm spreads along the Gulf Coast Friday, according to the weather service. The storm should weaken by Saturday, bringing lighter snow between 1 and 3 inches to parts of the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic and the Ohio Valley before exiting off the Carolinas.