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Anoka County Multi-Jurisdictional <br />All Hazards Mitigation Plan <br /> 80 <br /> <br />precipitation over a given period of time. <br /> Agricultural drought relates characteristics of drought to specific agricultural- <br />related impacts. Emphasis is placed on factors such as soil water deficits, water <br />needs based on differing stages of crop development, and water reservoir levels. <br /> Hydrological drought is directly related to the effect of precipitation shortfalls on <br />surface and groundwater supplies. Changes in land use can alter the hydrologic <br />characteristics of a basin. <br /> Socio-economic drought is the result of water shortages that limit the ability to <br />supply water-dependent products in the marketplace. <br /> <br /> <br />4.2.1.7 Severe Weather - Extreme Temperature <br />Extreme heat is defined as temperatures that hover ten degrees or more above the average <br />high temperature for the region and last for several weeks. Health risks from extreme heat <br />include heat cramps, heat fainting, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. According to the National <br />Weather Service, heat is the leading weather-related killer in the United States and has killed <br />more people than lightning, tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes combined in the last 10 years. <br />The effects of extreme heat are: <br />Heat Stroke: Body’s inability to control its temperature. Temperature will rise rapidly. Sweating <br />does not occur. This can cause permanent disability. Highest risk populations include outdoor <br />laborers, elderly, children, and people with poor health. <br />Heat Exhaustion: Occurs when there is an excessive loss of water and salt released in sweat. <br />Those at highest risk include the elderly, people with high blood pressure, outdoor laborers, and <br />those exercising outdoors. <br />Heat Syncope: Results in a sudden loss of consciousness, which generally returns when the <br />person lies down. There is little or no permanent harm as a result of heat syncope. This <br />disorder is usually associated with people who are not properly acclimated to the weather. <br />Heat Cramps: Occurs as a result of a mild fluid and electrolyte imbalance and generally ceases <br />to be a problem after becoming accustomed to the heat. This occurs in people who exercise <br />outdoors when they are not used to the activity. <br /> <br /> <br />4.2.1.8 Severe Weather - Thunderstorms <br />Thunderstorms are formed from a combination of <br />moisture, rapidly rising warm air, and a force <br />capable of lifting air (such as a sea breeze, a warm <br />and cold front, or a mountain). Thunderstorms may <br />occur singly, in clusters, or in lines. Some of the <br />most severe weather occurs when a single <br />thunderstorm affects one location for an extended <br />time. <br /> <br />Straight-line winds can exceed 100 miles per hour <br />and are responsible for most thunderstorm damage. <br />One type of straight-line wind, the downburst, can <br />cause damage equivalent to a tornado. <br />Thunderstorms are associated with tornadoes and heavy rains that lead to floods. <br /> <br />All thunderstorms contain lightning, which is an electrical discharge that results from the buildup <br />of positive and negative charges. When the buildup becomes strong enough, lightning appears <br />as a "bolt." This flash of light usually occurs within the clouds or between the clouds and the