Minnesota Stormwater Seminar Series

Extreme Weather Impacts Across the Water Sector

Please join us in person or online on March 27, 2025, at 10:00 am for the next Minnesota Stormwater Seminar Series event - a monthly experience featuring national, state, and local experts on stormwater and green infrastructure.

Title: Extreme Weather Impacts Across the Water Sector

Speakers:

• Keynote: Sunny Wescott, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Chief Meteorologist and Federal Emergency Response Official.  
• Kenny Blumenfeld, Sr. Climatologist, Minnesota State Climatology Office, Division of Ecological and Water Resources, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
• Nick Olson, State Hydraulic Engineer, Minnesota Department of Transportation
• Olivia LeDee, Regional Administrator, Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey & Institute on the Environment - University of Minnesota

Abstract: Nationally, the US has sustained over 400 weather disasters since 1980 with costs over one billion dollars with 61 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect Minnesota. In 2024 there have been 25 of these disasters, exceeded only by 2023 for the title of year with the most disasters on record. As the uneven distribution of heating amplifies extreme weather events in both intensity peaks and frequency, industry can expect to see more damaging years with these events seemingly occurring in a back-to-back fashion. Temperatures in Minnesota have risen more than 2.5°F since the beginning of the 20th century with the warmest years on record occurring this century. These events stress already aging infrastructure and showcase the failures for materials across all 16 critical infrastructure sectors, causing significant supply chain disruptions. CISA provides a breakdown of these threats by separating them into eight main weather hazards: extreme heat, extreme cold, severe weather, tropical cyclones, sea level rise, drought, wildfires, and flooding, all of which have caused disruption to the water sector and throughout the urban environment. This presentation will provide beneficial statistics for understanding and employing resources to address the worsening threat as well as connect international implications for the sector through analysis of the supply chain and key resource hub locations and best practices.

Date and Time: Thursday, March 27, 2025, 10a - 12p US Central

In-person: St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Auditorium (2 Third Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN)

Online: https://z.umn.edu/mn-stormwater-seminar-series (active 10 minutes prior)

Registration: Click here to Register

This seminar series is a partnership between the University of Minnesota's St. Anthony Falls Laboratory and Water Resources Center, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and made possible through the Minnesota Stormwater Research and Technology Transfer Program in collaboration with the Minnesota Stormwater Research Council.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is a state agency committed to ensuring that every Minnesotan has healthy air, sustainable lands, clean water, and a better climate.

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