Freezing temps to hit Southeast as millions brace for winter conditions — in spring

Spring officially arrives on Tuesday, but tell that to the tens of millions of people across the eastern U.S. currently facing winterlike temperatures as cold air dives in from Canada, making it feel more like January and forcing people to pull the parkas back out of the closet.

March is typically recognized as the battle between winter and spring, and the arrival of a new workweek has left nearly 170 million people shivering in colder-than-average temperatures Monday.

There’s even a risk of winter weather, including dangerous snow squalls and lake-effect snow, from the Great Lakes to the interior Northeast and the northern and central Appalachians.

This comes after weeks of above-average temperatures and record-breaking warmth.

But hang on just a little bit longer. Eventually, the temperature flip-flops will end as we get farther into spring and inch closer to summer in June.

Frost, freeze alerts stretch across 11 states in South

More than 25 million people across the South and Southeast, from Texas to North Carolina, are being urged to protect their plants and crops as temperatures are expected to plunge below freezing in many locations through Tuesday morning.

The good news – the cold snap isn’t expected to be prolonged, and temperatures will gradually warm back up as we get into the middle of the week.

However, we’re going to have to get through some pretty chilly temperatures before we get to that point.

Because of the cold temperature threat, millions of people have been placed under a Freeze Warning through Tuesday morning. Cities at risk include Little Rock in Arkansas, Memphis in Tennessee, Tupelo, Starkville, Jackson and Hattiesburg in Mississippi, Huntsville, Birmingham and Montgomery in Alabama, Atlanta and Griffin in Georgia, Anderson in South Carolina and Charlotte in North Carolina.

“Vegetation in these regions is susceptible to frost/freeze damage given the relatively mild late-winter temperatures, thus any unprotected sensitive plants could be damaged or killed,” NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center warned.

Freeze Watches have also been issued in parts of the region, including portions of central Louisiana, southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia.

A small area of central Louisiana is also included in a Frost Advisory.

Temperatures tumble across eastern US

The initial blast of frigid air settled across the Midwest and Plains on Monday morning, with many locations dropping into the teens and 20s.

The cold air will continue to dive farther to the south and east over the next few days, with freezing temperatures reaching the Southeast on Tuesday.

How cold will it be in the Southeast on Tuesday morning? Cold.

We’re talking about below-freezing temperatures in cities like Atlanta, which could see a forecast low temperature of 30 degrees.

Nashville, Tennessee, could be even colder Tuesday morning, as forecast low temperatures there could dip into the upper 20s.

Areas to the north will be just as cold, as forecast lows Tuesday morning show millions of people dropping into the mid- to upper 20s.

This includes cities across the Midwest like St. Louis, Chicago and Detroit, as well as pushing into the Northeast like Syracuse in New York and Burlington in Vermont.

Even New York City will feel the cold, with a forecast low temperature of 36 degrees.

Dangerous snow squalls, lake-effect snow likely

With the return of the cold air also comes the risk of snow over the upcoming workweek.

The cold air moved in Sunday, which has now allowed for conditions capable of producing dangerous snow squalls and lake-effect snow that could lead to slow drive times and treacherous travel conditions.

The Interstate 95 corridor on the East Coast will likely be spared from the snow squall potential, with areas closer to the Great Lakes facing a higher risk of lake-effect snow due to the cold air pushing across the relatively warm waters of the lakes.

The lake-effect snow risk extends from Michigan to New York, with areas of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and parts of upstate New York at risk of several inches of snow through the middle of the week, with some locally higher totals possible.