WeatherBrains Episode 1069 is now online (July 13th, 2026). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!
This week’s WeatherBrains episode is all about hydrology. Tonight’s episode examines the devastating 1997 Red River Flood.
Joining us tonight as Guest WeatherBrain is from Devils Lake, North Dakota. She is the Service Hydrologist at NWS Grand Forks, and is a twenty-year veteran in Federal service. Amanda Lee, welcome to WeatherBrains!
Second Guest WeatherBrain is the Senior Hydrologist at NWS North Central RFC (River Forecast Center) in Chanhassen, Minnesota. A Syracuse native, he joined the US Air Force as a weather officer, then earned his Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Utah. He’s spent over 15 years at the RFC (River Forecast Center). Justin Palmer, welcome to WeatherBrains!
Our Third Guest WeatherBrain tonight is a retired National Weather Service senior meteorologist technician, the former Data Acquisition Program Manager of the Grand Forks National Weather Service office. Mark attended North Dakota State University in Fargo during the late 80s into the early 90s, working with former state climatologist Dr John Enz. Mark Retired in November of 2014 after 40 1/2 years of combined federal and military service. Mark is currently 3:00 to 6:00 PM afternoon host on KNOX Radio in Grand Forks ND, and has been associated with latent broadcasting since 2016. Mark also operates Home On The Prairie Weather LLC, providing agricultural climate forecasts and other related information to agricultural and civic groups. Mark Ewens, welcome to WeatherBrains!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.
- Amanda’s background in meteorology (10:00)
- Working as a Service Hydrologist: What do they do? (12:00)
- What is a River Forecast Center (RFC)? (17:30)
- What is CHPS? (Community Hydrologic Prediction System) (28:00)
- Multi-Radar/Multi-Sensor (MRMS) Data Set Hydrology Section (31:30)
- Advantages of being a Service Hydrologist concerning shift work (39:30)
- How accurate is Hydro modeling, and what factors are involved? (42:00)
- Snow cores: The Basics (45:00)
- Snow pack in the Dakotas: How long does it last, and how thick does it get? (55:30)
- Meteorological background of 1997 Red River Flood event (58:30)
- 1997 Red River Flood’s public and Emergency Management response (01:01:30)
- Disinformation found online regarding river flooding (01:12:00)
- The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:19:00)
- This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment this week)
- E-Mail Segment (No segment this week)
- Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:21:00)
- and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1069:
Picks of the Week:
Amanda Lee – “A River Runs North (Managing an International River)” by Gene Krenz and Jay Leitch
Amanda Lee – “Red River Rising: The Anatomy of a Flood and the Survival of an American City” by Ashley Shelby
Justin Palmer – USGS Endangered, Discontinued and Rescued Streamgages Mapper
Mark Ewens – NDAWN – North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network
James Aydelott – Footage near Tulliby Lake in central Alberta, Canada
Jen Narramore – Out
Rick Smith – Out
Troy Kimmel – Out
Kim Klockow-McClain – An ethical analysis of hydrometeorological prediction and decision making: The case of the 1997 Red River flood
John Gordon – LIT/LZK back online with upper air launches
Bill Murray – Out
James Spann – Gulf Coast Weather
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Troy Kimmel, Bill Murray, Rick Smith, James Aydelott, Jen Narramore, John Gordon, and Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating podcast about weather.
