Winter preview: Unseasonably cold weather settles in across much of nation

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Less than a week after NYC broke daily heat records, a taste of winter will be sweeping across the New York region.

This week, daytime temperatures will be stuck in the 40s, with nighttime lows dipping into the 30s. These will be some of the coolest temperatures since late March and early April.

Rain on Tuesday night and early Wednesday could be mixed with snow in the higher elevations well north and west of New York City.

The Tri-State area is hardly alone in getting a December preview. Unseasonably cold air will be settling in across much of the nation this week, with winter weather working its way from the Rockies, Plains, Midwest and into the Northeast. It's a big pattern shift from the record warmth that characterized the first week of November.