The first real taste of fall is settling in for millions, including a few first frosts and freezes of the season for some in the Plains, Midwest and East.

A battle of the seasons is being waged in the Central U.S. between much cooler temperatures festering in the West and record heat trying to maintain hold in the East.

Here's what temperatures look like across the nation right now:

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Get ready to bundle up

A powerful cold front is loosening summer’s hold on the Central Plains and eastern U.S., and it is largely succeeding.

Temperatures have already tumbled in much of the Central U.S. as the front marches east, with more temperatures expected to take a nosedive by the weekend. Highs in the South will go from the 80s and 90s to the 60s and 70s.

The Northeast and Great Lakes will see temperatures drop to the 50s and 60s, with some scattered highs in the 40s.

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Cool, crisp mornings

When you head out in the morning after this cold front arrives, you might have to scrape some frost off your windshield.

Morning lows will plunge from the 60s and 70s to the 30s and 40s. Get those jackets out because it may come as quite a shock to feel these temperatures.

Some will see their first frost or freeze of the season, including parts of the Northeast I-95 corridor's suburbs.

Frost advisories, freeze watches and freeze warnings are already in effect for many places across the Central and Northeast U.S.

(MORE: What's the difference between a frost and freeze?)

How long will it last?

Not long. Consider this a "false fall" that will give us a temporary break in the heat, but it will be back. Temperatures in the Upper Midwest are expected to return to above-average level by Sunday, and the rest of the eastern half of the country will soon follow suit.

A ridge of high pressure will set up across the eastern U.S. beginning next week, so warmth will begin to build back in, first in the center of the country and eventually farther east. It doesn’t look like this warmth will reach summer levels at this point, but expect some above-average temperatures.

(MORE: How to tell the difference between 'false' and true fall)

Rob Shackelford is a meteorologist and climate scientist at weather.com. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia studying meteorology and experimenting with alternative hurricane forecasting tools.