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(CNN) - This week the weather in the United States will feel more like it feels in mid-January than in early December as extremely cold temperatures move throughout the country.
About 65% of the country will experience freezing temperatures, according to CNN meteorologists Taylor Ward and Dave Hennen.
The system moving eastward has already hit parts of the Midwest, which saw heavy snowfall and limited visibility in places like Iowa, where about 50 cars were involved in a crash Monday morning.
- Possible historic snowfall in the US: temperatures could fall more than 26 degrees Celsius in 24 hours
Multiple car pile up on I-80 westbound lane. Conditions continue to improve in central Iowa but same winter conditions will impact eastern Iowa through the early afternoon. https://t.co/3qi2aouUoA pic.twitter.com/YfzwRzuyVH
- NWS Des Moines (@NWSDesMoines) December 9, 2019
The accident took place around 11 am local time on Interstate 80 west, according to CNN affiliate WHO-TV. A snowfall or a sudden snowfall hit the region and made the roads slippery, the affiliate reported. One person was seriously injured in the accident, according to Sergeant Alex Dinkla of the Iowa State Patrol.
The bitter cold spills in the Midwest
The upper Midwest area of the country had freezing temperatures on Tuesday and will get colder on Wednesday, Ward and Hennen said.
Low temperature warnings have already been issued for a part of the Dakotas and Minnesota.
COLD! Here's a look at the forecast temperatures and wind chills (what it will feel like) for Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Bundle up and cover exposed skin #mnwx #wiwx pic.twitter.com/6N6vdYlqXH
- NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) December 9, 2019
Cold temps continue into mid-week. If you're spending any time outdoors, dress in layers & limit exposure. Flurries could develop tonight, but no accumulation expected. Snow showers are possible Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, with very light accumulations possible. pic.twitter.com/LVQL1k5zkD
- NWS Sioux Falls (@NWSSiouxFalls) December 9, 2019
It is possible that more than 30 centimeters of snow falls in some areas of the region and in the north of the Great Lakes.
"It will continue to be extremely cold from eastern Montana to northern Michigan, with generalized temperatures below zero," the National Weather Service said in its short-range forecast.
The cold front will eventually bring "a mass of Arctic air" to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast midweek, NWS said.
- Possible historic snowfall in the US: temperatures could fall more than 26 degrees Celsius in 24 hours
The snow hits the south
A snow band will develop 3,200 km from Texas to Maine as a result of the Arctic air combined with the frontal system that moves through the eastern United States, Ward and Hennen said.
Cities like Dallas, Little Rock and Memphis could see light snow, with small accumulations, meteorologists said. They are possible from 1 to 7.6 centimeters in Nashville, Washington and Philadelphia. The Boston to New York area might have to deal with 2-10 centimeters of snow.
Weather