>> WHEN IT COMES TO BIG MINNESOTA WEATHER EVENT, THE 1991 HALLOWEEN BLIZZARD HITS THE TOP OF MANY LISTS.

TONIGHT WE TASKED TWO OF OUR FAVORITE WEATHER NERDS WITH HIGHLIGHTING SOMETHING ELSE.

AND THEY CHOSE THE GREAT RED RIVER FLOOD OF 1997.

PAUL DOUGLAS FIRST APPEARED ON THE SHOW BACK IN 1985.

LOOK HOW OUNG HE LOOKS FROM KARE 11 TV.

HE HAS BEEN VISITING US ROUTINELY EVER SINCE.

MARK SEELEY HAS BEEN PART OF THE "ALMANAC" WEATHER FAMILY SINCE HIS FIRST APPEARANCE ON THE SHOW BACK IN 2006.

IT'S ALWAYS A TREAT TO HAVE THEM HERE TOGETHER.

HAPPY 40th.

THANKS FOR BEING WITH US ALL THIS TIME.

>> DELIGHTED TO BE WITH YOU.

>> Cathy: I THINK YOU CHOOSE A GOOD ONE HERE.

NOT A GOOD ONE, THE '97 FLOOD, WE ALL COVERED IT.

YOU CHOSE THE FLOOD, I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER PAUL DOUGLAS, IT WAS A LOT OF SNOW AND THERE WAS A FAST THAW.

WAS THAT THE MAIN ISSUE?

>> THE RED RIVER VALLEY SAW THREE TIMES THE NORMAL AMOUNT OF SNOW AND, YEAH, I MEAN, THERE WAS -- 120 INCHES OF SNOW, IT MELTED SUDDENLY, A LOT OF FACTORS AND WANT TO DRILL DOWN WITH MARK ON THIS BUT A COUPLE OF THINGS.

THE RED RIVER VALLEY IS UNIQUELY PRONE TO FLOODING.

IT'S FLAT AS A TABLE TOP AND INCONVENIENTLY, IT FLOWS NORTHWARD INTO CANADA.

SO A NUMBER OF MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES BUT A LOT OF SNOW AND, MARK, HOW MANY BLIZZARDS WERE THERE THAT WINTER?

>> THE WINTER OF MUCH 96-'97 PRODUCED 14 DECLARED BLIZZARDS BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, THE LAST OF WHICH WAS QUITE FAMOUS ON THE NEWS BECAUSE IT WAS APRIL 5TH AND 6th, WHEN THE RESIDENTS UP AND DOWN THE RED RIVER VALLEY WERE SAND-BAGGING TO FIGHT THE FLOOD, SO HERE THEY WERE OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A BLIZZARD SAND-BAGGING TO TRY TO FIGHT OFF THAT FLOOD.

AND IT WAS REMARKABLE.

I WAS PART OF THE INTERAGENCY TEAM THAT FORECASTED THAT FLOOD AND WE HAD REGULAR MEETINGS TO TRY TO GET PEOPLE UP AND DOWN THE RED RIVER VALLEY TO BUY FLOOD INSURANCE WELL HEAD OF TIME.

AND WE WERE FRUSTRATED BECAUSE WE COULDN'T CONVINCE EVERYBODY THAT THEY WERE REALLY GOING TO NEED IT THAT SPRING.

>> Cathy: AS A MATTER OF FACT, SOME OF THOSE ARE THE PHOTOS THAT YOU TOOK -- ARIEL SHOTS THAT YOU TOOK, I KNOW AND YOU HAPPENED TO SEE WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE GRAND FORKS HERALD NEWSPAPER BUILDING.

I MEAN, I THINK WE ARE ALL AT WCCO TV N '97 AND WHEN THAT THING WENT UP IN FLAMES -- BUT THEN THE PAPER PUBLISHED THE NEXT DAY.

>> SOMEHOW.

>> Cathy: AMAZING.

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: BUT WHAT A STORY.

NOW, DID THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SCREW UP THE FORECAST RIVER FLOWS?

>> MY UNDERSTANDING, AND THERE'S SOME CONTROVERSY ABOUT THIS BECAUSE RIGHT BEFORE THAT LAST BLIZZARD AND THE MEGAFLOOD, THIS BIBLICAL FLOOD, THERE WAS AN OTHERWISE STORM AND THAT KNOCKED OUT POWER AND IT KNOCKED OUT POWER TO SOME OF THE RIVER GAUGES SO IN MANY RESPECTS, THE HYDROLOGISTS AT THE TIME -- I THOUGHT THEY DID AN AMAZING JOB, SETTING EXPECTATIONS, BUT THEY WERE FLYING BLIND.

THEY DIDN'T HAVE AS MANY DATA POINTS AS THEY HAVE NOW, AND BY THE WAY, A BILLION -- CLOSE TO A BILLION DOLLARS HAS GONE INTO STORM RENOVATIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS TO REDUCE THE ODDS OF THIS KIND OF RIVER FLOODING IN THE FUTURE.

AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL HOLD BUT THAT WAS A 200-TO 500-YEAR FLOOD FOR MANY SPOTS.

>> EAH, IT'S STILL THE RECORD ALL-TIME FLOOD CREST AT GRAND FORKS AND A NUMBER OF OTHER POINTS ALONG THE RED RIVER, HAVING FLOWN THAT WHEN I TOOK THOSE PHOTOS THAT WERE SHOWN TO THE VIEWERS, RECONAISSANCE FOR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, WE FLEW FROM FARGO UP TO PEMINBA AND ALONG THAT ROUTE E OBSERVED A RIVER BELOW US THAT WAS ANYWHERE FROM 4 TO 16 MILES WIDE WHICH WAS REMARKABLE BECAUSE IN SUMMER THAT CHANNEL IS MAYBE 120 OR 30 YARDS WIDE.

>> Eric: HOW MUCH MORE INFORMATION DO METEOROLOGISTS HAVE NOW THAN YOU DID -- YOU TALKED ABOUT THE DATA POINTS AVAILABLE THEN.

IS IT MUCH, MUCH MORE SCIENTIFIC NOW?

>> WE HAVE MORE DATA AND WE HAVE MORE MODELS BETTER MODELS, BETTER PHYSICS.

THERE'S BEEN A SLOW EVOLUTION, A SLOW IMPROVEMENT.

HOPEFULLY THAT KIND OF BIBLICAL FLOOD WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN IN OUR LIFETIME BUT WE'RE SEEING MORE FLOODING IN GENERAL AND IT BECAME REALLY DIFFICULT.

MARK AND I SPENT A LOT OF IME GOING BACK AND FORTH TRYING TO PICK ONE EVENT, THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY EVENTS, THERE'S BEEN A DIRTH OF WEATHER BETWEEN TORNADOES AND FLOODS AND BLIZZARDS BUT THIS ONE REALLY STOOD OUT.

THIS WAS A WHOLE 'NOTHER LEVEL, THE COULD BE AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WERE DISPLACED FOR MONTH AFTER MONTH.

>> Cathy: YES.

>> Eric: YEAH.

>> IT PUT THIS IN A DIFFERENT CATEGORY.

>> Cathy: REALLY, WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT YOU BOTH HAVE DONE FOR THIS SHOW, YOU GUYS, WE CONTINUES DO WHAT WE DO WITHOUT YOU.

THE VIEWERS AND LISTENERS LOVE YOU SO THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US FOR 40 YEARS.

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, IT'S BEEN A DELETE.

>> IT'S BEEN AN HONOR BUT CAN