01:17 Making Snowflakes Any Time of the Year The Weather Channel meteorologist Kelly Cass looks at how you can make a snowflake any season of the year.

After record warmth dominated much of the East through the majority of December, a plunge of Arctic air will have much of the region shivering early in the first full week of January.

December 2015 was the warmest December on record at many stations across the Great Lakes, Midwest and Northeast, southward toward the Gulf Coast and Florida. Just over a week ago, locations such as Burlington, Vermont and Richmond, Virginia not only experienced their warmest Christmas Eve on record, but also all-time record highs for the entire month of December.

(MORE: Record December Warmth )

But the honeymoon from winter is ending. Let's lay out the details of this colder forecast in the week ahead.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/cold-4jan16.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/cold-4jan16.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/cold-4jan16.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > Jet stream pattern early in the week ushering in a blast of colder air in the East.

Cold, Brief Blast

The Arctic cold front plunges into the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Northeast into Sunday. Some snow, mainly light, may accompany the front from northern New England to the Great Lakes.

By Monday, highs will range from 10 to 20 degrees colder than early January averages from New England to the eastern Great Lakes.

Single-digit highs will keep northern New England and Upstate New York shivering. Teens are possible in the eastern and northern Great Lakes, while 20s are all that will be managed from southern New England into parts of the southern Great Lakes and Upper Midwest. Thirties for highs are expected from New York City to Washington, D.C.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/staticmaps/DCT_SPECIAL44_1280x720.jpg" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/staticmaps/DCT_SPECIAL44_1280x720.jpg 400w, https://s.w-x.co/staticmaps/DCT_SPECIAL44_1280x720.jpg 800w" > Forecast Highs Compared to Average Monday (Forecast high temperatures compared to average.) (Forecast high temperatures compared to average.)

The chill will hang in the East, Tuesday with highs generally from 5 to 15 degrees below average from New England to Florida.

(MAPS: 10-day Forecast )

Speaking of the Sunshine State, after sweating through a record hot December, Floridians will experience a breath of fresh, cooler air from this cold front, more typical of this time of year.

Highs into Tuesday should range from the 50s or low 60s in north Florida, to the upper 60s in central Florida, to the upper 60s or low 70s in South Florida. Miami last daily high in the 60s was February 20.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/staticmaps/DCT_SPECIAL43_1280x720.jpg" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/staticmaps/DCT_SPECIAL43_1280x720.jpg 400w, https://s.w-x.co/staticmaps/DCT_SPECIAL43_1280x720.jpg 800w" > Forecast AM Lows and Highs Tuesday (The temperature in the left box is the forecast low for Tuesday morning. The right box shows the forecast high for Tuesday.) (The temperature in the left box is the forecast low for Tuesday morning. The right box shows the forecast high for Tuesday.)

The coldest morning appears to be Tuesday morning, where some subzero lows are possible in northern New England, single digits may penetrate into the rest of New England, including near Boston and Hartford , and teens and low 20s could penetrate as far south as parts of piedmont of North Carolina.

(MAPS: 10-day Forecast )

This cold blast will be short-lived, as a warming trend is expected during the latter half of the week mainly east of the Mississippi River.

However, extended forecast guidance strongly suggests a more potent, expansive blast of cold air will arrive starting next weekend, lingering into the following week.

(MORE: January-March Outlook )

Welcome to January.

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