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Ramsey County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2018 Page | 19 impaired according to aquatic plant and aquatic macroinvertebrate bioassessments and is surficially connected to Pike Lake and Long Lake. Protecting the remaining wetlands in the county is one of Ramsey Conservation District’s high priorities. 3.4 Karst Geology Closed depressions and the resulting sinkholes are common when limestone bedrock has eroded, which is referred to as karst development. Karst development occurs from thick, soluble areas of underground limestone dissolve over time, forming sinkholes. Ramsey County Parks realized on June 20, 2014 that there was a sinkhole in the median of Highway 61, just south of the intersection of County Road B and Highway 61. This was following heavy rains during the previous 24 hours. In June of 2016, a resident reported that a sinkhole on city park property behind her residence had become quite large. Originally, she noticed it to be a foot wide and a foot deep. About a week later, it was three feet wide and much deeper. 3.5 Climate The climate of Ramsey County is classified as continental, characterized by wide variations in temperature from summer to winter. Although the climate is essentially uniform throughout the county, variations in microclimate may occur because of differences in vegetation, soil, relief, and due to the Mississippi River. January is the coldest month on average in St. Paul, with an average low of 6° F. The lowest temperature ever recorded in the city occurred in February of 1996, when it fell to -32° F. December and January are the snowiest months, with December averaging 11 inches and January averaging 12 inches of snow (Intellicast, 2018). July is the hottest month on average in St. Paul, with an average high of 83° F. The highest temperature ever recorded there occurred in 1988, when it rose to 105° F (Intellicast, 2018). 3.5.1 Climate Change Minnesota’s climate is currently changing in ways that are pushing us to adapt to weather patterns and extreme events that pose major threats to our health, homes, environment and livelihoods. These events cost our state millions in property loss, damaged infrastructure, disrupted business, medical care and support services, and put residents and responders at risk. Understanding how our weather is changing now and into the future will help planners and decision-makers in emergency management and supporting fields extend our progress in climate adaptation and lead to more resilient communities (MDH, 2018). The National Climate Assessment suggests that infrastructure planning (particularly water resources infrastructure) should “be improved by incorporating climate change as a factor in new design standards and asset management and rehabilitation of critical and aging facilities, emphasizing flexibility, redundancy, and resiliency” (Georgakakos, et al., 2014). Federal, state, and tribal governments are increasingly integrating climate change adaptation into existing decision-making, planning, or infrastructure-improvement processes (Georgakakos, et al., 2014). Definite