Chilly down to the Gulf of Mexico: What you should know about the arctic blast

Grace Hauck | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Climate change: How a warmer Earth could mean more snow Climate change is making winters colder despite rising temperatures and hotter summers. Here’s why.

A record-breaking cold front is expected to sweep across the U.S. from Sunday into Tuesday, with freezing temperatures stretching as far south as parts of the Gulf Coast.

The National Weather Service is forecasting more than 170 potential record-setting cold high temperatures Monday to Wednesday.

On Saturday, record lows were expected across the Northeast, with Baltimore, Newark and Philadelphia each bottoming out in the mid-20s. More were expected across the South and Midwest Tuesday, when parts of Texas could drop to 16 degrees. Cities in Texas and Louisiana were predicted to reach highs in the mid-40s, breaking records set decades ago.

Climate change: One of the world's thickest mountain glaciers is melting because of global warming

Where will the Arctic blast hit?

The front will plunge down from the Arctic through the northern Plains and upper Midwest Sunday, when temperatures could be 20 to 30 degrees below normal in some areas, the Weather Channel said. The cold will sweep into the southern Plains and Ohio Valley Monday, then through most of the East Coast and Deep South by Tuesday.

High temperatures on Monday may be stuck in the teens and 20s in the Midwest and around the Great Lakes. It could be the coldest Veterans Day on record in cities such as Chicago and Minneapolis, according to the Weather Channel.

Explore daily temperature records here

By Tuesday, record cold is possible in the Northeast, Ohio Valley and portions of the South. Highs may get only into the 30s as far south as Alabama.

For some farmers across the U.S., the early-season freeze could pose a threat to crops.

Will the Arctic blast bring snow?

Snow showers are expected over the weekend across northern Michigan, the northern Plains, northern Rockies and Cascades, according to the National Weather Service.

Bundle up for Veterans Day

In Detroit, which is holding its 14th-annual Veterans Day Parade on Sunday, celebrations should just escape the snow. On Monday, the city could receive between one to three inches, the Weather Channel predicts.

In Leavenworth County, Kansas, which claims to have the oldest Veterans Day observance in the nation, temperatures are expected to reach a high of 32 degrees on Monday. This year will be the county's 100th annual parade, and organizers say the show will go on despite the cold.

"We will never and have never canceled a parade because of weather issues. You have to remember, no war or conflict was stopped because of bad weather," said organizer Diana Smith.

In Chicago, where the city has planned a Monday morning Veterans Day Ceremony at Soldier Field, temperatures are expected reach a high of 31 degrees, and forecasters are predicting one inch of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

While double-digit temperatures may be balmy by Chicago standards, cold fronts this early in the season could be particularly challenging for the more than 80,000 Chicagoans experiencing homelessness.

"This type of weather starting this early in the season makes their lives that much more difficult," said Doug Schenkelberg, director of the advocacy group Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY