Laserfiche WebLink
Anoka County <br />MINNESOTA <br />Respectful, Innovative, Fiscally Responsible <br />4.2.1.11 Severe Weather - Winter Storms <br />Winter storms produce an array of hazardous <br />weather conditions including heavy snow, <br />blizzards, freezing rain, ice pellets, and <br />extreme cold. The extreme cold associated <br />with winter storms is a deceptive killer as it <br />indirectly causes injury and death resulting <br />from exhaustion and overexertion, <br />asphyxiation, hypothermia, and frostbite from <br />wind chill. <br />Extreme ice and snow events are the most <br />potentially disruptive to society, for they can <br />bring down trees and power lines and lead to <br />roof collapse. All forms of severe winter weather can make travel treacherous. Severe winter <br />storms are extra -tropical cyclones (storms that form outside of the warm tropics) fueled by <br />strong temperature gradients and an active upper -level jet stream. <br />Anoka County 2019 <br />Multi -Jurisdictional <br />All Hazards Mitigation Plan <br />4.2.1.12 Wildfires <br />Wildfires are uncontrolled burning of grasslands, brush, or woodlands. According to FEMA, <br />people start over four out of five forest fires. Negligent human behavior such as irresponsible <br />smoking or not extinguishing campfires is the cause of many fires. The other primary causes of <br />forest fires are lightning and arson. <br />There are three different classes of wild -land <br />fires. A surface fire is the most common type <br />and burns along the floor of a forest, moving <br />slowly and killing or damaging trees. A ground <br />fire is usually started by lightning and burns on <br />or below the forest floor. Crown fires spread <br />rapidly by wind and move quickly by jumping <br />along the tops of trees. Wild -land fires are <br />usually signaled by dense smoke that fills the <br />area for miles around. <br />The potential for wildfire depends upon surface <br />fuel characteristics, recent climate conditions, current meteorological <br />behavior. Hot, dry summers and dry vegetation increase susceptibility <br />particularly dangerous time of year for wildfire. <br />conditions, and fire <br />to fire in the fall, a <br />Wild -land fires are wildfires in an area where development is essentially nonexistent except for <br />roads, railroads, power -lines, and similar facilities. Urban wild -land interface fires are wildfires in <br />a geographical area where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with <br />wild -land or vegetative fuels. <br />82 <br />