Bundle up, Midwest! A wintry blast is expected to bring record-breaking low temps

If you’re in the Midwest, it’s time to bring in some firewood and bundle up, because it’s about to get cold — really cold.

An Arctic blast began its trek across the Midwest Saturday evening, stretchingall the way from Texas to western portions of New England by Monday, the Washington Post reported.

AccuWeather predicts temperatures will be 15 to 25 degrees below normal this week and the National Weather Service expects more than 350 low temperature records will be broken across the country.

“This will make it feel like in the middle of winter rather than in November for much of the eastern two-thirds of the country for the next few days,” the National Weather Service Prediction Center wrote on Monday.

On Monday, parts of Iowa and Illinois were already experiencing the effects of the weather system, with portions of Iowa receiving between one and three inches of snow, the Des Moines Register reported. Some schools started late because of the snowfall.

Chicago has already seen a fair dusting of snow, with more to come. Parts of the city are expected to receive up to six inches, WBBM reported.

Tuesday is predicted to see lows of 16 degrees to portions of Texas, USA Today reported. The NWS expects areas of Kansas will experience lows in the single digits and in Missouri, highs climbing to only 30 degrees.

As the system moves through, areas near the Great Lakes could see 10 inches of snowfall, the Weather Channel reported, with more moderate snowfall in the plains.

As temperatures plummet, the National Weather Service asks residents contending with the cold to take extra precautions.

“Winter clothes, hand warmers, & soup assemble!” the NWS said in a tweet. “Make sure you are dressing appropriately for these temps that are well below normal even by January standards.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2019 at 9:26 AM.