Forecast

Fall Chill Brings First Frost, Freeze and Record Cold Temperatures

The season's first frost and freeze was seen for parts of the Rockies, Plains, Northwest, and Upper Midwest this week. Numerous record lows and record cold daytime highs were set as well.

In addition to this frost and freeze threat, snow blanketed parts of the Rockies and High Plains, setting records in some locations.

(MORE: Summer Snow | Calgary's Snowy Mess)

Let's break down the details starting with forecast lows.

Tracking the Lows

A frosty start to Saturday was found for many in the Rockies, Plains and Upper Midwest as the fall air invaded the U.S. behind a strong cold front.

In fact, temperatures well below freezing were recorded in parts of the northern Rockies beginning midweek.

Casper, Wyoming, sank to 30 degrees at 6 p.m. Thursday, only the fifth time the city's reached 30 degrees or colder on or before Sept. 11 in 74 years of records.

Lows Friday morning dipped into the teens and 20s in the northern Rockies.

Sheridan, Wyoming dipped to 18 degrees, crushing its previous daily record of 30 degrees.

Actual low temperatures on September 12, 2014.

Miles City (29 degrees) and Billings, Montana (30 degrees) tied their daily record lows Friday morning. Missoula, Montana (25 degrees), Casper, Wyoming (26 degrees) and Rapid City, South Dakota (29 degrees) also set daily records.

It's about two to three weeks early for temperatures to drop to 32 degrees or below in Billings, Montana (average date is Oct. 3) and Rapid City, South Dakota (average date is Sept. 27).

Lincoln, Montana (10 degrees) as well as both Daniel and Moose, Wyoming (12 degrees) were the coldest in each state Friday morning.

Records lows were tied as far east as Chicago (44 degrees) and set as far south as Kansas City (42 degrees) on Friday as well.

Frost advisories and freeze warnings were in effect as far west as northeastern Washington, and continue in parts of the Plains and Upper Midwest through Saturday morning.

(MAPS: Average First Freeze)

Record lows were also broken on Saturday morning from International Falls, Minnesota (25 degrees) to Austin, Texas (60 degrees). Kansas City, Missouri (37 degrees) and Dodge City, Kansas (35 degrees) both broke records set way back in 1890.

Chilly High Temperatures, Too

The cold air started spilling over the international border from western Canada into northern Montana around Cut Bank back on Monday.

Daily record cool high temperatures were set in many locations including Cut Bank on Tuesday (39) and Wednesday (36) and in Rapid City, South Dakota (45) on Wednesday.

Roughly three dozen locations set daily record cool highs Thursday from the northern Rockies to the Great Lakes.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin only managed to "warm" to 51 degrees Thursday, their coolest daily high so early in the season.

Chicago only reached 56 degrees Thursday, the earliest in the season they've had a high temperature that chilly since 1917.

Rapid City saw a high temperature of 90 degrees on Monday, but topped out at a frigid 39 degrees Thursday.

Colder temperatures continued to move south and east behind the cold front. High temperatures Friday were up to 30 degrees colder than mid-September averages in parts of the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles.

Actual high temperatures on September 12, 2014.

High temperatures struggled to get out of the 50s across the High Plains and Upper Midwest Friday.

Rockford, Illinois only reached 53 degrees on Friday which broke the record for coldest high temperature so early in the fall season.

Record cool highs were set in Madison, Wisconsin (47 degrees) and Dubuque, Iowa (48 degrees) as they did not even see the thermometer rise above 50 degrees on Friday.

Record cool high temperatures were also set on Friday from Tulsa, Oklahoma (62 degrees) to St. Louis (60 degrees) and as far east as Burlington, Vermont (56 degrees).

(FORECAST: Bismarck | Kansas City | Chicago)

The below-average temperatures will advance even farther south and east this weekend.

Highs may climb only into the 70s for parts of the Tennessee and the Mid-South region this weekend, bringing a welcome break from the heat and humidity.

There will even be some relief in the heart of Texas, where high temperatures will go from the 90s to the 70s and 80s.

(FORECAST: Little Rock | Nashville | Dallas)