Temperatures will begin to drop in the US; These will be the affected states

(CNN) – A pronounced shift in the weather will bring cooler air from spring to millions of people in the central and eastern U.S. this week, leaving areas that have struggled to shake lingering heat until now feeling more like November than October.

A long autumn chill has been slowly creeping across much of the country since the season began last month. But a combination of an expanding cold front and incoming Canadian cold air will change that and temperatures will drop by an average of 5-8C by mid-week.

The first aspect of this cold front—a powerful cold front—began over the weekend. This cold front will expand from the north-central United States and cross the eastern half of the country late Monday, giving some people a real cold snap along the way.

Cooler temperatures will remain across the Plains and Midwest on Monday, as cold air from Canada pushes further south.

Maximum temperatures across the Midwest and Northeast to South will be cooler this Monday, which is typical for this time of year, but will drop further on Tuesday. Tuesday is likely to be the coldest day of the week in Chicago, where the high temperature won’t even touch 10 degrees Celsius. Chicago hasn’t had a high of 10 degrees Celsius since April.

Temperatures will drop again Wednesday in many areas outside the Midwest. Wednesday will be the coldest day since spring for millions of people in the United States, and in many places the wind chill will be as late as November rather than October.

And the southern “really fall weather forecast (…) through the weekend,” the National Weather Service in Atlanta said Monday.

On Wednesday, high temperatures in Washington may struggle to reach 50 degrees Fahrenheit, 5 to 8 degrees below normal for mid-October.

Atlanta will struggle to reach 15°C on Wednesday and may stay there until Friday. The maximum temperature in the city never drops below 21 degrees since May, and usually reaches 24C at this time of the year.

Wednesday will also be the coldest day of the week for much of the Northeast, with highs between 4 and 10 degrees in many areas. As daytime temperatures are very cold, nighttime temperatures are likely to be below freezing.

“Several nights and areas this week will be frosty and frosty,” the National Weather Service in Pennsylvania State College warned Monday.

Snow warnings remain in effect for parts of Pennsylvania through Tuesday morning. More may be released in the coming days for other parts of the Northeast and cooler areas of the mid-Atlantic.

Frost can kill plants that aren’t protected from the cold or end the growing season for some regional staples. These conditions can also be dangerous for those who are not adequately warmed.

Western North Carolina, which was devastated by Helen late last month, could record freezing or near-freezing temperatures almost every night Tuesday through Thursday.

Conditions will return to typical October conditions later this week in Central America and the Northeast. Cold weather will last through at least Friday in areas as far south as the southern Appalachians and the Southeast.

On Saturday, seasonal highs of 21 and 26 degrees Celsius will return to the Southeast, while 15 and 21 degrees will be common over parts of the North Midwest and Northeast.