( CNN ) An early blast of cold air will leave more than half of the United States shivering into the weekend . About 200 million people will be affected by the severe cold , CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri said . The unseasonably cold temperatures associated with an arctic air mass will continue to surge southward through the central United States . Temperatures are forecast to be 20 to 40 degrees below climate average for areas east of the Rockies into the Great Plains . The cold air will move toward the South by Wednesday morning , bringing freezing temperatures as far south as Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle . It will reach the East Coast by Thursday , forecasters said . `` Early season cold outbreak will drift south and eastward across much of the eastern half of the country over the next several days , '' the National Weather Service said in a statement . By the time the weekend hits , hardly anyone in the eastern two-thirds of the nation will be spared . `` The next 10 days over the entire eastern half of the country will be below normal , '' CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said Tuesday . In Wyoming , the wind chill is expected to be between 25 to 35 below zero . Experts warned residents not to stay outside for prolonged periods , and urged farmers to move livestock into a barn . `` The cold spell is about zero degrees , and we will get subzero overnight , '' said Mayor Rick Kaysen of Cheyenne , Wyoming . Residents flocked to grocery stores to stock up as they anticipated a hiatus from the outdoors . `` People are hunkered down at home , maybe sitting around the fireplace , '' Kaysen said . `` This is not unusual for us , except that maybe it is early on in the season . We have experience with it . There was advance information coming in regard of the intensity of the storm and what to expect . '' In Minnesota , though tempered by years of long brutal winters , this snap came a little too soon . `` This is the first snow I 've seen this season , and it 's a major snowstorm , rather than the usual light dusting you 'd expect to start off the winter with , '' said Katie Robinson of St. Paul . `` I think that 's the biggest thing -- that we went from a very warm and mild fall to now being thrust so abruptly into winter . '' In Montana , temperatures plummeted as bitterly cold winds rushed down the front range of the Rocky Mountains . In Billings , Wednesday will bring overnight lows below zero and daytime highs in the single digits . With overnight temperatures plunging close to record lows , downtown Billings , the heart of Montana 's largest city , was empty . Those who did venture out in the cold said they were ready . `` We just watched the alerts , and when they say it 's going to be cold , we just bundle up , '' resident Tessa Rogers said . The cold snap will bring lows in the teens and single digits into Iowa , Kansas and Colorado this week but also spread freezing temperatures as far south as Texas . A hard freeze warning extends to just north of the Dallas-Fort Worth area . The frosty blast will move across the rest of the United States , but it will not be as harsh as in the Midwest . Atlanta and Birmingham , Alabama , are expecting daytime high temperatures in the mid-40s on Friday , according to the National Weather Service . A normal high this time of year is 64 . Residents in the northern United States can thank Super Typhoon Nuri for the mess . It is the strongest post-tropical cyclone on record in the North Pacific , the National Weather Service said . The storm system plowed into all that arctic cold air in Alaska and northern Canada , forcing it south . Things will get warmer over the weekend , but it wo n't stay that way , forecasters say . Another arctic blast is on the way for next week . CNN 's Gary Tuchman contributed to this report .
By the weekend , the eastern two-thirds of the nation will be affected . In Wyoming , the wind chill is expected to be between 25 to 35 below zero . Farmers urged to move livestock into a barn .