CNN
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After weeks of spring-like warmth, parts of the U.S. will briefly return to winter this week, with freezing temperatures likely in much of the eastern half of the country.
Tuesday marks the end of the warmest winter on record and the official start of astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
But Mother Nature seems to be mixing up the seasons, and spring will start to feel more like winter by early this week. More than half of the U.S. population will experience temperatures at or below freezing.
The cold weather is more than just an anomaly and will pose a risk to agricultural profits in the Southeast during the growing season.
The cold weather will come as a shock to many people in the eastern half of the country, where temperatures last week were warmer than average. Many southern cities still saw highs in the 70s on Saturday, but that will change by Sunday as cold weather begins to creep in. Midwest, moving south and east over time.
By Monday, the bottom will drop, allowing cold air to spread over much of the eastern half of the country.
St. Louis could see swings of more than 20 degrees from the upper 60s on Saturday to the low 40s on Monday. High temperatures in Atlanta could drop as much as 15 degrees from Saturday into Monday, from the low 70s to the mid 50s.
These temperatures may not be frigid, but they are typical of mid-winter temperatures in parts of the South.
Memphis, Tennessee, and Huntsville, Alabama are both expected to see highs of 51 degrees on Monday. Typical mid-January high.
The cold air will continue to spread eastward Monday night into Tuesday, eventually reaching much of the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. High temperatures in New York City will drop from 60 degrees on Saturday to 45 degrees on Tuesday.
The high temperature in Philadelphia on Tuesday is expected to be 45 degrees, a normal high for February 19th.
The minimum temperature will also drop. Morning temperatures in the Southeast on Tuesday will be 10 to 15 degrees below normal for this time of year. Atlanta, Charlotte and Birmingham, Ala., are all expected to see temperatures drop into the low 30s Tuesday morning, posing the greatest risk to plants.
The easiest way to protect your plants from deep freezes is to bring them indoors, but if that's not possible, covering your plants can also help.
Sheets, towels, and blankets can help trap radiant heat from the ground around your plants. Use stakes with plant covers or hang stakes over patio furniture to keep plants from being crushed.
Remember to stock up on your sunscreen and allergy medication, as temperatures will rebound fairly quickly in the Southeast by the end of the week, so spring will soon be officially here.