Changing Minnesota Climate Increases Health Risks

ST. PAUL (AP) - Minnesota has produced its first county-by-county assessment of how changing climate poses big implications for human health.

The Minnesota Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment was released Monday by the state Department of Health. The report examines which counties are most vulnerable to extreme heat, flash flooding and bad air quality.

Pete Boulay, an assistant state climatologist for the department, says the state's annual precipitation has increased nearly three inches since 1895. Temperatures are also on the rise, especially overnight lows, which have warmed by nearly three percent in the summer and more than five percent in the winter.

Boulay says higher temperatures can disrupt freeze and thaw cycles.

The state's climate trend increases the likelihood of extreme weather and presence of disease-carrying bugs.