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.

Duke Energy is watching the weather and getting ready to take action in case the weekend wintry weather brings power outages. Jeff Brooks, spokesperson for Duke Energy, said the big question for them is whether this turns out to be primarily a snow or ice event.

: EcoVivarium Reptile Sanctuary avoids eviction thanks to donations from 10News viewers Duke Energy crews in central North Carolina are prepared for potential power outages due to the winter storm. Thanks to ABC 10News viewers,