Daily briefing: Midwestern Arctic blast

The last week of the year kicks off with frigid changes unfurling across the Midwest and heading into the East. The West gets a chance to dry out after last week's unsettling weather. This is included in today's daily briefing, published every weekday at 5 a.m. ET.

A big cold front, visible on WeatherRadar as a thin line of rain, is moving across the East Coast into the Southeast and reaching into northern Florida today. In the front's wake, snow will fall across the Midwest, Great Lakes and across interior New England.

High winds, as seen on the WindRadar, will accompany the snow, causing white-out conditions and travel problems across the Great Lakes.

A blast of polar air already showing on the TemperatureRadar across the northern Plains, Upper Midwest and northern Mississippi Valley will settle eastward today. Although morning highs in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast will hit the 50s and low 60s, those readings will be short-lived as temperatures quickly plummet this afternoon and evening.

The western half of the U.S. will finally get a break from the rain and mountain snow that cause problems over the extended holiday weekend. Bright sunshine and seasonably temperatures will be the norm, with highs ranging from the low 70s across the Southwest to southern California to the 30s in the Rockies and interior Northwest. Check the TemperatureRadar for the latest temperatures near you.

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