Temps have already plummeted across Southeast Texas, but the main story will be the chance of significant snow and ice later this week.

Southeast Texas' outlook for next week's winter storm continues to worsen, with a growing likelihood of a deep freeze and substantial wintry precipitation, snow and sleet in the Houston area. Space City Weather's Eric Berger published an atypical afternoon report on Friday warning of an "increasingly likely" and drastic mix of hard freeze and snowy conditions expected in Southeast Texas early next week.

HOUSTON – The Houston Zoo has announced it will close on Tuesday ahead of the winter storm.

The watch is in effect from Monday evening through Tuesday afternoon. Heavy accumulations of sleet and snow are possible.

Most of the United States is being assailed with extreme winter weather this week as Arctic air blasts south from Canada, snow tracks up the Northeast coast and a potentially crippling winter storm takes aim at the South.

The FOX Forecast Center is monitoring a rare winter storm that’s expected to bring heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain along the Gulf Coast and into the South. FOX Weather meteorologists Ari Sarsalari and Kendall Smith break down the forecast.