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$ Engineering Hydrology

falls as guides and interpolating between them by the eye (Fig. 2.14). The procedure is
similar to the drawing of elevation contours based on spot levels.
The area between two adjacent isohyets are then determined with a planimeter. If
the isohyets go out of catchment, the catchment boundary is used as the bounding line.
The average value of the rainfall indicated by two isohyets is assumed to be acting
over the inter-isohyet area. Thus P1, P2, …, Pn are the values of isohyets and if a1, a2,
…, an-1 are the inter-isohyet areas respectively, then the mean precipitation over the
catchment of area A is given by
æ P + P2 ö æ P2 + P3 ö æ Pn - 1 + Pn ö
a1 ç 1 + a2 ç + ¼ + an - 1 ç
è 2 ÷ø è 2 ÷ø è 2
÷ø
P= (2.9)
A
The isohyet method is superior to the other two methods especially when the sta-
tions are large in number.
EXAMPLE 2.5 In a catchment area, approximated by a circle of diameter 100 km, four
rainfall stations are situated inside the catchment and one station is outside in its neigh-
bourhood. The coordinates of the centre of the catchment and of the five stations are
given below. Also given are the annual precipitation recorded by the five stations in 1980.
Determine the average annual precipitation by the Thiessen-mean method.
Centre: (100, 100) Diameter: 100 km.
Distance are in km
Station 1 2 3 4 5
Coordinates (30, 80) (70, 100) (100, 140) (130, 100) (100, 70)
Precipitation (cm) 85.0 135.2 95.3 146.4 102.2

SOLUTION: The catchment area is drawn to scale

and the stations are marked on it (Fig. 2.15). The
stations are joined to form a set of triangles and the
perpendicular bisector of each side is then drawn.
The Thiessen-polygon area enclosing each station
is then identified. It may be noted that station 1 in
this problem does not have any area of influence in
the catchment. The areas of various Thiessen poly-
gons are determined either by a planimeter or by
placing an overlay grid. Fig. 2.15 Thiessen Polygons—
Example 2.5

Station Boundary Area Fraction of total Rainfall Weighted

of area (km2) area P (cm)
(col. 4 ´ col. 5)
1 — — — 85.0 —
2 abcd 2141 0.2726 135.2 36.86
3 dce 1609 0.2049 95.3 19.53
4 ecbf 2141 0.2726 146.4 39.91
5 fba 1963 0.2499 102.2 25.54
Total 7854 1.000 121. 84
Mean precipitation = 121.84 cm.