FARGO — This week is the 25th anniversary of the terrible Red River Flood of 1997. In all floods, there is a river crest which represents the peak of the flooding. This crest makes its way downstream and, along the way, is affected by weather, runoff, water coming from tributaries and other factors. The crest, itself, has its own crest, in which the worst of the flooding occurs.
In 1997, this crest of the crest happened in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. The images of the two flooded cities with downtown Grand Forks on fire made world news. The Grand Forks Herald was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for continuing to inform its people of critical news during the evacuation. Since the 1997 flood, the National Weather Service River Forecast Center has implemented a superior hydrology model system based on past floods which has greatly improved flood forecasting here and around the nation.
