Another round of arctic air will surge into the central and eastern U.S. in the upcoming week, bringing widespread subzero temperatures to the Midwest while also keeping the South and Northeast shivering at times.

A blast of arctic air plunged through the Midwest and into the Northeast Friday into Saturday morning.

A second widespread blast of arctic air will sweep southward across the Midwest in the first half of this week. This second blast may bring the coldest air in two decades to parts of the Midwest.

On Saturday morning, temperatures plunged below zero in the upper Midwest, including the Chicago area once again, with temperatures in the 20s below zero in southern Wisconsin.

Madison, Wisconsin set a daily record low of 23 degrees below zero on early Saturday which is their coldest morning since Feb. 3, 1996.

Temperatures in the single digits were observed in parts of the interior Northeast.

Sunday morning may not be quite as cold, except in northern Minnesota, where the “Nation’s Ice Box”, International Falls, is likely to dip well into the 30s below zero. However, mush of the upper Midwest will see lows 20 to 35 degrees colder than average.

Despite this, few, if any, daily record lows will be threatened from this first arctic plunge. Daily records are hard to set in late January, as it is the coldest time of the year east of the Rockies.

High temperatures will also plunge 10 to 25 degrees below average in the upper Midwest and Great Lakes through Sunday.

This means daytime highs either in the single digits or teens through at least Sunday in these areas. Subzero highs are possible closer to the Canadian border in those regions.

An Even Colder Blast Coming

If that doesn’t sound cold enough, another blast of arctic air next week may bring the coldest air in two decades to parts of the Midwest and will also bring shivering cold to the South and East through much of the week.

By the middle of next week, morning lows may reach the minus 20s in the Twin Cities, with minus teens in Des Moines, Iowa, Chicago and Detroit. Subzero cold lows may extend through much of the Ohio Valley into the interior Northeast by late next week.

Here are the last dates the following cities were as cold:

Chicago last plunged to minus 20 degrees on Jan. 18, 1994.

Des Moines, Iowa, last observed temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees on Feb. 4, 1996.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin last reached minus 15 degrees on Jan. 5, 1999.

Minneapolis/St. Paul last plunged to minus 25 degrees on Dec. 26, 1996.

As you can see, this outbreak next week may be the coldest in more than 20 years in parts of the Midwest and may threaten a number of daily record lows in some areas.

By the middle of next week, daytime highs will likely not rise above zero in the upper Mississippi Valley and may not rise out of the single digits in the Ohio Valley.

This bitter cold may be accompanied by strong winds at times, leading to dangerous wind chills and life-threatening conditions in the Midwest that could lead to frostbite on exposed skin in a matter of minutes.

Editor’s Note: This story was written by The Weather Company.