The frigid weather across America last week has finally passed and the weather for Fort Collins will stay in the upper 40s- mid 50s for this week.

Fort Collins itself did not get hit with the same caliber of snow and freezing temperatures as many other places in America, such as Minnesota, Alabama, and Georgia, that were hit with below zero temperatures and as much as 4 feet of snow.

The intense cold that occurred all over the United States was caused by a polar vortex which occurred because of the change in the jet stream that caused high winds that  usually sitting on top of the North Pole to travel south encasing the U.S.

With the freezing temperatures across the nation, authorities recorded 21 cold related deaths across the U.S, leading officials to open shelters to anyone who needed a warm place.

The polar vortex winds have caused Americans to stay inside. Many schools were cancelled as well as airlines across the nation. Airlines canceled a total of 11,000 flights in the U.S over the course of four days.

The freezing temperatures across the East and South have broken record in some areas that have stood for over a century. The cold was so intense that even Florida reached below temperatures, which haven’t happened in years. The freezing temperatures lasted for 3 days and extended from the northern half of the state across to the far south.

The airlines as well as most schools have operated normally this week and the temperatures are getting warmer again across the U.S.

https://www.wral.com/south-east-brace-for-polar-temps-wind-chills/13276905/

http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2014/01/08/polar-vortex-spreads-into-eastern-southern-us/