The first real taste of fall is coming for millions, including some first frosts and freezes of the season for some in the Plains, Midwest and East.

A battle of the seasons is being waged in the Central U.S. between much cooler temperatures festering in the West and record heat trying to maintain hold in the East.

Here's what temperatures look like across the nation right now:

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Get ready to bundle up

A powerful cold front is trying to loosen summer’s hold on the Central Plains and eastern U.S., and it will largely succeed.

It will take its time as it moves across the country, but get ready to see some temperatures tumble by the weekend. Highs in the South will go from the 80s and 90s to the 60s and 70s.

The Northeast and Great Lakes will see temperatures drop to the 50s and 60s, with some scattered highs in the 40s.

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Cool, crisp mornings

When you head out in the morning after this cold front arrives, you might have to scrape some frost off your windshield.

Morning lows will plunge from the 60s and 70s to the 30s and 40s. Get those jackets out because it may come as quite a shock to feel these temperatures.

Some will see their first frost or freeze of the season, including parts of the Northeast I-95 corridor's suburbs.

(MORE: What's the difference between a frost and freeze?)

How long will it last?

Not long. Consider this a "false fall" that will give us a temporary break in the heat, but it will be back. The three-day outlook above shows temperatures in the Upper Midwest returning to above-average level by Sunday, and the rest of the eastern half of the country will soon follow suit.

A ridge of high pressure will set up across the eastern U.S. beginning next week, so warmth will begin to build back in, first in the center of the country and eventually farther east. It doesn’t look like this warmth will reach summer levels at this point, but expect some above-average temperatures.

(MORE: How to tell the difference between 'false' and true fall)

Let’s get through the record heat first

All this talk of fall coming is fantastic, but first we have to get through summer’s potential final stand.

Additional record highs and warm lows stretch all across the eastern U.S. Friday, with temperatures running up to 20 degrees warmer than average for mid-October.

If you like summer, get outside before the cold comes. If you are over these summer temperatures, just wait a couple of days for that sweet relief.

Rob Shackelford is a meteorologist and climate scientist at weather.com. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia studying meteorology and experimenting with alternative hurricane forecasting tools.