Confidence is increasing for a significant winter storm to impact Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky this weekend.

The winter storm is expected to become a long-lived event with effects lasting into next week. Additionally, there's also a concern for freezing rain and ice in some counties.

The Tennessee Senate cancelled floor sessions and committee meetings for next week as ice and snow is expected in parts of the state beginning as soon as Friday evening. The House of Representatives could return on Wednesday,

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, Department of Transportation, Tennessee Highway Patrol and National Weather Service will host a briefing Thursday at 3 p.m. to outline what the state is doing to prepare.

Storm Team 6 is monitoring the forecast as a weather system moving in later this week could bring wintry weather, including snow, ice, and freezing rain, to East Tennesseans this weekend.

Middle Tennessee is bracing for a several-day stretch of cold weather this upcoming weekend into next week.

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For Tennessee, La Niña typically means warm, dry air for the Volunteer state, which pans out to a mild winter season. The National Weather Service is forecasting a milder winter for East Tennessee this year. The region has a 33% to 40% chance of having warmer-than-average temperatures in December, January and February.

Tennessee's drought conditions and wild temperature swings are creating agricultural challenges that could impact food prices and local economies.