It may seem as if winter already has had a firm grip over the eastern U.S., but the cold air that's plunging into the Plains is taking this year's level of cold to a new level.
We are talking about bitter cold. Dangerously cold wind chills. The possibility of frozen pipes. And to double down, some of these frigid temperatures will impact many who could potentially be without power due toWinter Storm Fern.
(MORE:Major Winter Storm Targets South, Midwest, Northeast)
The National Weather Service has issued extreme cold alerts in parts of the Midwest and South in advance of this dangerously cold air, as the map below shows.
Many dozens of daily record cold high and low temperatures may fall by the wayside through Tuesday in the Midwest, South and East. That's tough to do during what is already thecoldest time of year. Some of these cities, particularly in Texas, may threaten daily records multiple days in a row from this weekend into Monday or Tuesday.
Here is where the coldest air is right now.
We will break it down by regions:
Plains And Midwest
The "feels like" temperatures, or the wind chills, will drop to 35-40 degrees below zero in some places by Monday. That's cold enough to cause frostbite within minutes.
Even places like Des Moines and Chicago will face wind chills as low as 20 degrees below zero. However, places like Duluth and Fargo will feel around 35-40 degrees below zero.
The National Weather Service in Duluth is describing this as "life-threatening cold."
Deep South
As the cold reaches the South, it will be ushered in by Winter Storm Fern.
Not only will lows be in the teens and 20s for much of this region, the winter storm is leaving many in the dark due to power outages from the forecast ice potential.
This means many could face dangerously cold temperatures with no power.
(MORE:5 Things To Know About Ice Storms)
Wind chills in the South are forecast to drop into the single digits below zero on Sunday or Monday morning for places like Dallas, Oklahoma City and Little Rock.
We could see record lows Monday morning across much of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, and highs won't make it above freezing for several days.
The National Weather Service office in Dallas issued a strong warning about the potential for widespread pipe damage due to the prolonged cold.
The Northeast
Yes, the cold will spill eastward as well, bringing temperatures that will even make the hearty New Englanders shiver.
The brutal cold will bring temperatures as much as 15 to 25 degrees below average for the Northeast.
Interior portions of the Northeast and northern New England will face the coldest temperatures. Lows will drop below zero from Upstate New York to northern Maine, with the wind making it feel even colder. Much of the interior Northeast will see morning wind chills below zero at least through Wednesday.
Big cities along the I-95 corridor saw temperatures drop to the teens and single digits Saturday morning, with wind chills as low as 10 degrees below zero, and will stay frigid Sunday morning as well.
Jennifer Grayis a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.