In a few days, people in the Midwest and Northern Plains will have reason to be jealous of what their countrymen in the Northeast are going through now -- digging out from as much as 2 feet of snow, dealing with the effect of blizzard-level winds, and feeling the heat of below-zero temperatures.

Because as cold as it is now, it's practically tropical compared to what's coming.

Think lows in the -20s Fahrenheit across North Dakota and Minnesota, with wind chills of -50 or even more frigid, according to the National Weather Service.

Sunday night in Chicago will be a brisk minus 16 to 20, or 35 below to 45 below zero if you factor in the Windy City's wind.

In fact, between Friday and Wednesday, nearly 140 million Americans -- nearly half the nation -- will experience temperatures of 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below, according to a CNN calculation.

One storm threatened to bring blizzard conditions to North Dakota as well as parts of South Dakota and Minnesota on Friday night and Saturday, the weather service said.

And cities like St. Louis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Indianapolis and Cincinnati -- the latter of which will play host to a Bengals vs. San Diego Chargers NFL football game -- could get hit with significant snow Sunday and Monday.

Some areas will get some reprieve as temperatures rise in the coming days. But they better not get too comfortable, as the temperatures will reverse course starting Sunday.