Deep freeze to cause major temperature swings, with lows that could break records in the South

(CNN) — The calendar still says fall, but the atmosphere is skipping ahead to winter as a rush of Arctic air sends more than two dozen states into a brief deep freeze.

It all starts this weekend in the Midwest, where temperatures will drop 10 to 20 degrees below average, making it feel more like December from the Dakotas to Missouri. The shivering conditions could allow the first snowflakes of the season to fall in parts of the Midwest, while also turning on the lake-effect snow machine in the Great Lakes.

These winter-like conditions — with the coldest temperatures of the season — will reach as far south as Florida while also spreading to the East Coast early next week. More than 20 locations in the Southeast could wake-up to record cold temperatures Tuesday morning.

Here’s how this ch