Millions of people in the Midwest and eastern United States were under a freeze warning early Wednesday morning as cold temperatures set in, according to the National Weather Service.

Nearly 37 million people from Kansas to New England in the east faced subfreezing temperatures Wednesday morning.

Many of the freeze warnings were set to expire Wednesday morning as temperatures rise.

Despite the freeze warning, cities like Chicago and Kansas City, Missouri, could see temperatures in the 50s and 60s, respectively, on Wednesday, according to AccuWeather.

The NWS warned that freezing temperatures could kill crops and other outdoor plants and damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.

What is a frost warning?

The NWS issues freeze warnings when temperatures are expected to fall below 32 degrees over the next 24 hours. It issues a severe frost warning when temperatures are expected to fall below 28 degrees.

US Weather Watches and Warnings

National Weather Radar

Julia is a trends reporter for USA TODAY. You can connect with her LinkedInkeep following her X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram And TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Freeze warnings affect 36 million people: See weather watches, national radar