(CNN) — After a quiet weekend for many states, winter will reappear at the start of the new work week.
“Temperatures will be -12 to -6 degrees Celsius below average in the northern states by Monday morning,” the Climate Prediction Center said. Saturday.
And that is only the beginning. The thermometer will slide as low as -1 to 4 degrees Celsius below normal for Tuesday and Wednesday as a strong high pressure system begins to spread arctic air further south and east.
Many cities will see a strong polar plunge within 48 hours.
Denver will go from a high of about 15.5 degrees Celsius on Sunday to 15-9 degrees Celsius for Tuesday’s high, with showers of snow.
Rapid City, South Dakota will go from a high of 10 degrees Celsius on Sunday to -17 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. By Tuesday night, the bottom will fall in the Black Hills at -27 degrees Celsius.
Some cities will see temperatures drop even more quickly, in as little as 24 hours.
In Amarillo, Texas, the high temperature on Monday will be about 21 degrees Celsius, but it will quickly drop to about -1 degree Celsius just a day later.
Wichita, Kansas, will plunge further, dropping from a high near 21 degrees Celsius on Monday to minus 6 degrees for Tuesday’s high.
#Arctic air is expected to move south through #phwx next week. This will lead to cold temperatures, breezy to windy conditions, and potentially some light winter precip. As of now, the main impacts will be due to periods of sub zero wind chills. Stay tuned! #txwx #okwx pic.twitter.com/vxNQ0EwOOE
– NWS Amarillo (@NWSAmarillo) February 19, 2022
Over the next week, more than 70% of Americans in the lower 48 regions will experience freezing temperatures. More than 15 million will experience sub-zero temperatures.
With temperatures so cold, any moisture that is displaced will cause snow to spread over a wide region.
“The arctic front arrives late on Sunday bringing snow, intense cold, [y] dangerous trips,” the National Weather Service (NWS) office said in Rapid City, Dakota del Sur. They also strongly advise bringing layers of thermal clothing and a winter survival kit if traveling.
Freezing cold meets prolonged snow
Snow will start across the Upper Midwest, but since the cold front will not move very quickly, it will allow significant snowfall rates throughout the area.
“An extended period of snow and gusty northeasterly winds will begin late Sunday night and continue through Tuesday,” the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Twin Cities, Minnesota, said in a tweet. “Snow can be heavy at times with significant accumulations across parts of the Upper Midwest.”
By Tuesday, sleet, rain and freezing rain will cover the Great Lakes region, where significant ice accumulations are possible.
About 6 inches of snow is forecast across parts of the northern Plains and Midwest through Tuesday, but some areas could see more than 12 inches.
Snow (blue), rain (green), and ice (pink) accumulations across the contiguous United States from Sunday through Tuesday of this week.
The slow movement of the system will also be a concern on the south side of the storm due to very heavy rains.
“Increasing certainty that a multi-day rain event will bring flooding concerns,” the NWS office said in Nashville.
Most of the rain will fall in the Southeast on Monday and Tuesday.
The South will be one of the few areas to see above-average temperatures on Monday, which will help fuel severe storms.
The Ark-La-Tex region, as well as the lower and middle Mississippi Valley, will see possible tornadoes, large hail and wind damage from Monday afternoon into evening.
CNN Meteorologist Haley Brink contributed to this story