By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

November 09, 2013; 3:00 PM

More Sharing ServicesShare | Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on linkedin

See larger image below.

Arctic air is on the move and will sweep into the central and eastern United States during the upcoming days.

The northern Plains and the Upper Midwest will be first to feel the icy air Sunday through Monday.

The cold blast will then progressively head to the south and east Tuesday through Wednesday.

Make sure the furnace is in good shape, there is wood for the fireplace and you have an ice scraper handy for the car.

The arrival of the arctic air will be accompanied by a period of snow showers across the Midwest, Northeast and even along the spine of the Appalachians toward Charlotte and Atlanta.

The stiff winds ushering in the cold wave will lead to RealFeel® temperatures being significantly lower than the actual temperature.

The weather pattern next week will deliver the lowest temperatures of the season so far and is likely to bring the first frost or freeze of the season to some places in Texas, the southern Plains and South.

The core of the cold air will sweep from the northern Plains to the middle part of the Mississippi Valley and then into the Ohio Valley.

RELATED:
Winter Weather Advisories
US Winter Forecast: Snow to Bury Rockies; Slow Onset in East
Temperature Forecast Maps

Actual temperatures may fail to reach the freezing mark for a couple of days around Minneapolis. Highs may be held in the 30s around Chicago. Dallas could have its first freeze of the season.

New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., are also expected to have their first freezing temperatures of the fall.

As the arctic air passes over the warm waters of the Great Lakes, it will be modified somewhat but will also produce bands of heavy lake-effect snow.

A storm along the leading edge of the arctic air could still strengthen across the western waters of the Atlantic, but should do so far enough offshore to prevent a snowstorm from unfolding along the East Coast.

As fast as the arctic air invades the United States, temperatures will quickly rebound later in the week.