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Ramsey County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2018 Page | 45 Tornadoes and Climate Change Tornadoes and other severe thunderstorm phenomena frequently cause as much annual property damage in the U.S. as do hurricanes, and often cause more deaths. Although recent research has yielded insights into the connections between global warming and the factors that cause tornados and severe thunderstorms, such as atmospheric instability and increases in wind speed with altitude (Del Genio, Yao, & Jonas, 2007), these relationships remain mostly unexplored, largely because of the challenges in observing thunderstorms and tornadoes and simulating them with computer models (National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee, 2013). According to Harold Brooks of NOAA’s National Severe Weather Laboratory, there is increasing variability in the “start” of tornado season. The number of days with more than 30 EF1 or greater tornadoes is increasing, while the number of days with at least 1 EF1 or greater tornadoes is decreasing. Thus, tornadoes are occurring on fewer days, but more are occurring on outbreak days. The earliest reported tornado in Minnesota occurred on March 6, 2017, when 2 tornadoes touched down in southern Minnesota, which was 12 days earlier than the previous record. The Zimmerman tornado occurred 115 miles further north than the previous record from 1968. According to State Meteorologist Paul Huttner, “Those records fit seasonally and geographically with longer term climate trends pushing weather events earlier in the season and further northward” (Huttner, MPR News, 2017). The state of Wisconsin has recorded 3 tornadoes in January and 6 in December during the period of 1844-2013 (National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, 2014) including a January tornado in 2008. Vulnerability The county has experienced a tornado event in 7 of the 67 full years on record. According to these statistics, there is a 10% chance of a tornado affecting Ramsey County each year. The vulnerability of each jurisdiction to severe summer storms has not changed due to any development in the last 5 years. Plans and Programs in Place Ramsey County Emergency Operations Plan, Ramsey County COOP/COG Plan; Ramsey County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, THIRA – Ramsey County maintains several different plans including an Emergency Operations Plan, a Ramsey County COOP/COG Plan and the Ramsey County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan which are designed as guides for emergency and/or recovery operations. These plans are intended to assist key county/municipal officials and emergency organizations to carry out their responsibilities for the protection of life and property under a wide range of emergency conditions. Public Warning and Notification – In the event of emergencies or hazardous conditions that require timely and targeted communication to the public, Ramsey County utilizes the Everbridge Mass Notification System, the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), Ramsey County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Facebook page, and local news media. Ramsey County promotes the use of NOAA weather radios by critical facilities and the public to receive information broadcast from the National Weather Service. Local television & radio stations assist with sharing public information. Ramsey County Emergency Communications Center has recently upgraded