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Sherburne County Multi -Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2020 Warning Siren Coverage— Sherburne County has a large warning siren system, however, some of the sirens are old and have not been serviced frequently. This could lead to sirens not working properly, causing residents to not receive warnings during an event. Emergency Services is currently working on updating the county's outdoor warning system. Sherburne County has implemented CodeRED, however, not everyone has enrolled in the community notification system. The outdoor warning system seems to be the best method of warning the general public. Backup Power— Not all county and city facilities have backup power in the event of a severe storm that takes out power. Storm Shelters/Community Safe Rooms — There are many areas throughout the county that do not have safe rooms or storm shelters to protect vulnerable populations from severe storm and tornadoes/extreme wind events (i.e., mobile home parks, campgrounds or schools). 4.3.4 Hail Hailstorms are a product of severe thunderstorms. Hail forms when strong updrafts within the storm carry water droplets above the freezing level, where they remain suspended and continue to grow larger, until their weight can no longer be supported by the winds. Hailstones can vary in size, depending on the strength of the updraft. The NWS uses the following descriptions when estimating hail sizes: pea size is 1/-inch, marble size is 1/-inch, dime size is 3/4-inch, quarter size is 1-inch, golf ball size is i 3/4-inches, and baseball size is 2 3/4-inches. Individuals who serve as volunteer "storm spotters" for the NWS are located throughout the state, and are instructed to report hail dime size (3/4-inch) or greater. Hailstorms can occur throughout the year; however, the months of maximum hailstorm frequency are typically between May and August. Although hailstorms rarely cause injury or loss of life, they can cause significant property damage. Hail History in Sherburne County According to the NCEI Storm Events Database, Sherburne County has experienced 146 hailstorms from January 1955 through July 2019. A number of of these hailstorms resulted in property damage. The following are the three most recent hails events to cause damage. Hail in September of 2oi6 damaged a vehicle in the Aspen Hills area of Big Lake Township. Property damage was estimated at $2,000. On July 1, ZOii, several reports of large hail occurred in the Big Lake area. Hail size reached 2.75 inches, and $50,000 in property damage was reported. Hail the size of golf balls caused extreme damage to Sherburne County in September of 2005. Hundreds of homes received damage to siding and roofs. Many vehicles were also damaged. One newspaper reported that two insurance companies totaled over 3.,500 claims in the area. The NCEI property damage estimate was $25 million. No deaths or injuries have been reported in the county due to hail Page150