Travelers heading to some of the nation's busiest airports in the next two days should expect delays and canceled flights.

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.

Brutal cold will open the door for a winter storm to take a somewhat unusual track through the South and create treacherous conditions.