The big freeze begins: 180 MILLION from Great Plans to East Coast brace for coldest temperatures of the season as cold front begins to dump up to a foot of snow on Michigan and Chicago

• Millions of Americans are set to be affected by the unusually cold weather, which will cause temperatures to plummet by as much 30 degrees in some areas. 
• The blast of frigid air already descended on the region Monday morning, offering an early taste of winter, with snow seen in Chicago and Michigan
• The weather in the region could last a week before relenting, warn meteorologists - who predict to see as much as a foot of snowfall
• Affected areas include the Great Lakes, Midwest, and New England, as the cold mass continues to move down from Canada

US states are bracing for the first snowfall of the season this week as a cold front continues to barrel across the American Midwest - bringing with it unseasonably cold temperatures and potentially barrels of the white stuff.

Millions of Americans are set to be affected by the unusually cold weather, which will cause temperatures to plummet by as much 30 degrees in some areas. 

The blast of frigid air already descended on the region Monday morning, offering an early taste of winter - with snow seen in both Chicago and Michigan.

The weather in the region could last a week before relenting, warn meteorologists - who predict to see as much as a foot of snowfall in parts of the Great Lakes, Midwest, and New England as the mass moves down from Canada. 

Meteorologists meanwhile warn that freezing lows and killer frosts could extend as far south as Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama, with temperatures in the upper 30s extending all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.

The stark cold front has already seen freeze alerts issued for more than 70 million Americans in states in the system's path, as it tears across the Midwest and Great Plains with rounds of snow, rain, and gusty winds.

Michigan has so far bore the brunt of the ongoing cold snap, with nearly a foot of snow already recorded in cities along the Upper Peninsula.  

Moreover, it will yield the lowest temperatures seen since spring in many areas, with more than 180 million citizens set to see temperatures at least 10 degrees below their local average on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Photos and video footage taken overnight show the first snowfall in Michigan in the city of Ironwood, which sits just north of the Wisconsin border in the Great Lakes.

Video shows cars completely enveloped in the city early Monday morning, as an early-winter storm warning went into effect.

Snow is set to persist in the region for the better part of the week, with an expected 13 inches of snowfall predicted for Ironwood and the nearby cities of Marquette, Republic, and L'Anse.

The unseasonably dense snow could lead to tree damage, power outages, and obstructed roadways, experts warned.