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Sherburne County Multi -Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2020 Sherburne County Emergency Management identified that there are existing program gaps and deficiencies that make its citizens more vulnerable to severe winter storms and should be addressed with new mitigation efforts to reduce vulnerability. They include: Communications —Not all Sherburne County residents are signed up fort he Code RED system or have NOAA weather radios. Some people follow the Sherburne County Sheriff's Office Facebook account to receive important messages, but not everyone uses social media. Continued public education needs to be done to encourage people to utilize these resources. Backup Power— Not all county and city facilities have backup power in the event of a severe winter storm that takes out power. 4.3.7 Extreme Cold Winter in Sherburne County can be severe, and especially dangerous for disabled citizens and outdoor workers. Record temperature lows and arctic -like wind chills can cause cold -related illnesses such as frostbite and hypothermia, which can be deadly. Hypothermia is the greatest and most life -threatening cold weather danger. In Sherburne County, cold winter weather can have severe or fatal impacts. Hypothermia occurs when the core body temperature drops below g6°F. Anyone who is exposed to severe cold without enough protection can develop hypothermia. Frostbite occurs when skin tissue and blood vessels are damaged from exposure to temperatures below 32°F. It most commonly affects the toes, fingers, earlobes, chin, cheeks, nose, and other body parts that are often left uncovered in cold temperatures. The NWS issues "Extreme cold" warnings when it feels like -3o°F or colder across a wide area for several hours. Extreme cold watches are issued a day or two before the conditions are expected. The Wind Chill Index is a calculation that can be made with wind speed to communicate the dangers to bare skin from winter winds and freezing temperatures. The NWS has produced a chart to simplify this calculation. The classification zones are delineated in terms of time to frostbite on bare skin and are due to the lowering of body temperature due to the passing -flow of lower -temperature air. Criteria for issuing official NWS wind chill warnings are set locally. Medical costs related to extreme heat and cold can be enormous: in 2005 the total was $1.5 billion nationwide, or more than s3.6,000 per patient (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2009). Below zero temperatures occur almost every winter in Minnesota. January is the coldest month, with daytime highs averaging 2o1F and nighttime lows averaging 2°F. However, these averages do not tell the whole story. Maximum temperatures in January have been as high as 63.°F and minimums as low as 36°F below zero. Extreme cold temperatures affect the county nearly every year. Extremely cold air settled over Minnesota on January 3ist of 3.996, and remained entrenched through February 41n A new record low temperature for Minnesota was set in the town of Tower on February 2, 3.996, at -6o°F. Numerous record low temperatures were set during the period at St. Cloud, Rochester and the Twin Cities. Page168