A storm bringing snow, sleet and bitter cold to southeast Texas could drop as much as 8 inches of snow on metropolitan Houston.

FOX 26 meteorologist John Dawson takes a look at the winter storm expected to hit Houston later this week and what we expect for snow and ice.

Houston Airports issued a safety alert that starting at midnight on January 21, the authority will shut down all traffic from/to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), and Ellington Airport/Houston Spaceport (EFD).

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

HOUSTON - The snow we are expecting on Monday night into Tuesday could be one for the record books. Much of the area is expected to get two to four inches of snow, while some parts could see six to seven inches.

Snow and ice is expected to fall in Houston later this week. Houston Mayor John Whitmire and other staff members urged residents to take steps to prepare for the upcoming winter storm.

While forecast models still have plenty of time to change significantly, here’s a timeline of the freeze, based on the latest information.

A rare winter storm is expected to bring heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain to Florida, Texas and other parts of the South next week. While some uncertainty remains over exactly how much snow will fall,

A blast of cold air is expected to move into Houston on Sunday, and we could see snow and ice early next week. Here's our forecast.