Mix of snow and freezing temps expected to cover U.S.

Wind chills and winter storm warnings in the Midwest are expected as the region undergoes a blast of frigid weather Sunday night from the parts of the Plains, into Minnesota and down into the Chicago area.

The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill warning for northern Minnesota, and a wind chill advisory for the southern part of the state until noon Monday.

Cold temperatures are flowing down from Canada into Minnesota driving air temperatures down to zero in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and dropping as low as 24 below in the state's northwest corner, reports CBS Minnesota. Meteorologists say the cold will continue to cover the state until next weekend.

It even became too cold for skiers as Minnesota's Spirit Mountain closed down on Sunday due to "incoming extremely low temperatures and intense chill factors."

Meanwhile, rain turned into snow around Chicago as that city goes under a winter storm watch beginning Monday evening until early Tuesday, with between 2 to 6 inches of snow expected to drop onto the area. The city has called up its entire fleet of 280 snow plows and salt spreaders, CBS Chicago reported. However, no major delays have been reported at O'Hare or Midway airports.

Snow is also expected to blanket other parts of the mainland United States. A mix of precipitation affected a swath from the Oklahoma Panhandle -- where several inches of snow were in the forecast -- to southern New England, where up to a quarter-inch of ice is possible in the eastern Berkshires.

In New York, rain showers will give way to cold air. By Thursday, "New York City will be lucky if it hits 20" for a high and could see lows near 10 degrees, according to Michael Musher with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. Also, Atlanta will see low temperatures down to about 15 degrees Monday and Tuesday - but there won't be any ice to accompany it.

Also parts of the southern U.S. saw heavy rain and thunderstorms, leading the National Weather Service to issue tornado watches and warnings in Mississippi and Louisiana and a flash flood watch for portions of Arkansas.

By Tuesday, parts of the Midwest will see below-zero temperatures, while lows will reach single-digits along the East Coast. The chilly weather is even expected to move as far south as New Orleans.