A major winter storm is forecast to hit over half the United States this weekend, prompting widespread winter weather alerts in cities from Atlanta to Washington D.C. The Apple Weather app has sparked social media discussion by predicting up to two feet of snowfall in some locations, though meteorologists caution that precise precipitation amounts are difficult to forecast days in advance.

As the storm system approaches, the app's snowfall estimates have decreased in many cities, but significant totals remain. The forecasts are powered by data from sources like the U.S. National Weather Service and The Weather Channel, following Apple's 2020 acquisition of Dark Sky. The storm could also bring freezing rain, sleet, and potential power outages.

Apple Weather users can enable severe weather and next-hour precipitation notifications on their iPhone for real-time alerts. This event underscores the ongoing challenge of weather prediction accuracy and the public's growing reliance on smartphone apps for critical, hyperlocal forecasts as major storms develop.