What your local Waffle House can tell you about this week's winter storm

• And no, Fugate isn't suggesting the index is a scientific measure of storm severity, but rather an indicator of community disruption, including power, staffing, access and supply chains, he says.
• While the index hasn't gone live for the storm yet, Fugate predicts those in the southern part of the storm track could see shutdowns as roads become undrivable — even for first responders and utility crews.

How it works: The index is color-coded and simplified.

• Green means the store is open and serving its full menu — a sign the community is functioning.
• Yellow indicates a store is open but with a limited menu.
• Red means a full closure, highlighting serious disruptions in the area.
• "In short: it works because it reflects how a community is functioning, not because it measures the storm itself," Fugate tells Axios.

The latest: The National Weather Service forecasts "significant to locally catastrophic ice accumulations with the potential for long-duration power outages, extensive tree damage and extremely dangerous or impassable travel conditions."

• The forecast conditions are expected Friday through Sunday from the Southern Plains to the Lower Mississippi Valley, the Tennessee Valley and the Southeast.

State of play: Fugate says the predictions for the upcoming storm are "dire," noting the NWS rarely uses the term "catastrophic" for major winter storms.

• He's particularly concerned about icy conditions, which he says could prevent both staff and customers from safely making it to their favorite waffles.
• "If you're looking at a quarter inch or more of ice accumulation, that starts bringing down tree limbs and power lines," he says, adding that a half inch could lead to widespread grid damage that may take days to weeks to repair.
• "This is going to be a very dangerous, probably multi day-event for people."

Go deeper: Inside NWS' effort to forecast this week's potentially historic winter storm