At a Glance

Widespread cold air will engulf much of the central and eastern U.S. this week.It will plunge deep into the South, including Texas and parts of Florida.Temperatures may not rise above zero for several days in the Northern Plains.This cold will last through Christmas weekend into early next week.

Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletterto get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.​

A major arctic outbreak will bring bitterly cold temperatures not just to the northern United States, but also plunge deep into the South this week, including Texas and Florida, and will likely hang around through Christmas.

There have been some pushes of cold air this month, but they've been confined to the Northern Plains, Northwest or Great Basin. Parts of the South have had one of the , from Texas to Florida.

(​CURRENT MAPS: Temperatures | Wind Chills)

F​irst Stop: Northern Plains, Midwest

Very cold air has already spread into portions of the Northern Plains and upper Midwest to start the week.

This bitterly cold air that extends up into western Canada will begin its plunge down the Front Range of the Rockies and the Central and Southern Plains on Wednesday and Thursday.

Lows in the minus teens, minus 20s and even a few minus 30s are forecast by the middle of the week from Montana into the Dakotas. Daytime highs in these areas may not rise above zero for several days in a row.

S​ubzero lows are forecast as far south as the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and Missouri by Friday morning.

S​trong winds beginning Wednesday will lead to dangerously low wind chills in the Plains as this arctic front plunges southward. Wind chills of minus 30s degrees or colder are a good bet from the Northern and Central Plains into the Midwest.

The National Weather Service warned of wind chills dropping to as cold as minus 65 degrees in eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska.

B​elow is the wind chill forecast for Friday morning, but keep in mind dangerously cold readings like these will be in place across the region for a much longer period of time late this week.

Next: S​outhern Arrival

The arctic front will nosedive through the Southern Plains – including all of Texas – Thursday, then the Southeast – including all of Florida – Thursday night into Friday.

There's the potential for below-freezing air to penetrate through much of Texas, the northern Gulf Coast and northern Florida for multiple days late this week. Daytime highs from northern Florida along the Gulf Coast to coastal Texas may stay below 40 degrees.

F​rom the Carolinas to the Tennessee Valley to the Southern Plains, daytime highs might not rise above freezing late this week. Lows could drop into the teens or even single digits in some spots.

(​FORECAST MAPS: 10-Day U.S. Highs/Lows)

W​ind chills will be dangerously cold by later this week.

Below is a look at how cold wind chills could be Saturday morning, but keep in mind these bitterly cold feels like temperatures will last a much longer period of time in South late this week.

F​or now, it looks like this cold outbreak will last through Christmas weekend, and only gradually ease off in the Southeast early in the final week of 2022.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, .