With warming, freezing rain in the US moves south and occurs later in winter, toward the southeast.[1] Freezing rain forms under specific conditions: precipitation begins as snow in the upper atmosphere, melts to rain in warm air, and freezes just before impact in the cold layer near the ground.[1] Researchers Yang and Hu analyzed data from the NOAA Storm Events Database from 1996 to 2025 at the county level.[1] They found an increase in freezing rain events in a band from eastern Texas to western Pennsylvania and along the Appalachian Mountains where cold air is trapped.[1] Event time moved from December to February.[1] A recent winter storm followed exactly this path of a new ice corridor.[1] In the south of the USA, people are not prepared for such winter conditions as in Chicago or Canada.[1] Natural variations have so far dominated the occurrence of freezing rain, but warming may change wind patterns and bring more cold arctic air to the south.[1]