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

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.

Today is a FOX 26 Storm Alert Day in southeast Texas. Heavy rain will begin to move in midday with the heaviest rain expected later this afternoon into the evening. Models are showing 2 to 4 inches of rain possible in total and the highest amounts will likely be close to the coast.

Preparations are underway from Houston to Atlanta as a rare winter storm sets its sights on the southern U.S., where it's expected to bring a messy mix of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain that could have a major impact on travel and daily life.