Definitions of Useful Terms

Depth: Depth of rainfall at a point or over an area (mm)

Duration: The period of time during which rain fell (hours)

Intensity: Depth of rainfall per unit time i.e. depth/duration (mm/hr)

Time Distribution:
• Rainfall hyetographs are plots of rainfall depth or intensity as a
function of time.

• Cumulative rainfall hyetographs are also called rainfall mass curve.

• Isohyets (contours of constant rainfall) can be drawn to develop

isohyetal maps of rainfall depth.

Normal Annual Precipitation (NAP) (mean of 30 years annual ppt)

1
 Analysis of Precipitation Data
POINT DATA ANALYSIS
1. Estimation of Missing Precipitation Record
• Arithmetic Mean
• Normal Ratio Method
• Inverse Weighing Approach
2. Consistency of Precipitation Data
• Double Mass Analysis
AREAL PRECIPITATION DATA ANALYSIS
1. Estimation of Average Precipitation Over a Basin
• Arithmetic Mean Method
• Thiessen Polygon Method
2

• Isohyetal Method
 Estimation of Missing Precipitation Data
• This situation will arise if data for a rain gauge are missing (e.g. due to
instrument failure).
• Data from surrounding gauges are used to estimate the missing data.
• Three approaches are generally used:

(i) Arithmetic Mean

P1
It is used when normal annual precipitation of all N1
index stations is within ±10% of NAP of the missing
P2
gauge for which data are being reconstructed. Pm
N2 Nm
n
1
Pm  
n i 1
Pi P3

where: N3
Pm = Precipitation at the missing location
Pi = Precipitation at index station i
n = Number of rain gauges
3
(ii) Normal Ratio Method
• Normal ratio method (NRM) is used when the normal annual precipitation at
any of the index station differs from that of the interpolation station by more
than 10%.
• In this method, the precipitation amounts at the index stations are weighted by
the ratios of their normal annual precipitation data in a relationship of the form:

1 n  N m  P1
Pm   P N1
n i  1 N i 
 i  P2 Pm
where: N2 Nm
Pm = precipitation at the missing location
Pi = precipitation at index station i P3
Nm = average annual rain at ‘missing data’ gauge
Ni = average annual rain at gauge i N3
n = number of rain gauges
4
(iii) Reciprocal Inverse Weighting Factor Approach

P2
Procedure:
• Divide area around gauge of interest into
four quadrants. X2 P1
 Using records at nearest station in each X1
quadrant.
 Compute missing precipitation amount:
X3 X4

P4
1  4 Pi  P3
Pm  4  
 i 1 X 
1 / X i  i 
i 1

where:
Pi = Rainfall recorded by gauge i
Xi = Distance from gauge i to missing data point
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Problem #1 Find out the missing storm data of station C given in the following table:
Station A B C D E
(1) (2) (m) (3) (4)
Storm ppt (inches) P 3.80 3.25 ? 4.50 3.15

Normal Annual Ppt (inches) N 39.5 43.1 36.8 49.5 46.2

1. Test whether the normal annual ppt (NAP) of each of the index stations lies within
10 % of the NAP of the interpolation station.
10 % of 36.8 = 3.68 inches
Lower Limit = Nm – 0.1 Nm = 33.12 inches
Upper Limit =Nm + 0.1 Nm = 40.48 inches
2. Since the NAP of all the index station does not lie within 33.12 and 40.48 inches,
therefore, NRM will be used.
3. Using formula of NRM with n = 4

1  Nm Nm Nm Nm  Pm = 3.06 inches
Pm   P1  P2  P3  P4 
4  N1 N2 N3 N4 
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 Areal Precipitation Estimation
• It is important to have accurate rainfall information in a
catchment for hydrological assessment.
• However, rainfall varies in space and it is expensive to install
and maintain a very dense rain gauge network to completely
cover all the catchments. As a result, only a limited number of
gauges are installed and there are large gaps between the gauge.
• For assessing rainfall in a catchment, we need to determine the
average rainfall over the catchment so that the total amount of
rainfall could be estimated.

1. Arithmetic Average Method

2. Thiessen Polygon Method
3. Isohyetal Method 7
 1. Arithmetic Average Method

The arithmetic mean is the average of the precipitation data

collected over a watershed at different stations located within
its boundary. It is calculated as:

n
P1
1
P  
n i 1
Pi
P2

P3
where: P = Average rain over the area (mm)
Pi = Precipitation depth at gauge i (mm)
n = Total number of gauges
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2. Thiessen Polygon Method
P1

P4

P2 Connecting line

P3 Perpendicular bisector
to connecting lines

 Divide the region (area A) into sub-regions centred about each

rain gauge;

 Determine the area of each sub-region (Ai) and compute sub-

region weightings (Wi) using: Wi = Ai/A
n

 Compute total areal rainfall using: P   Wi Pi

i 1 9
 3. Isohyetal Method
Potentially most accurate approach, but
subjective.

 Plot gauge locations on a map;

 Subjectively interpolate between rain

amounts between gauges at a selected
interval;

 Connect points of equal rain depth to

produce lines of equal rainfall amounts
(isohyets);

 Compute area rain using:

 Ai Pi
P 
 Ai
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Problem #2

Calculate the average precipitation for the following precipitation data using
arithmetic average and Thiessen Polygon method.
Rain-gauge Area of Thiessen Polygon Precipitation
AxP
station A (km2) P (mm)
A 45 30.8 1386.0
B 38 34.6 1315.8
C 30 32.6 978.0
D 40 24.6 984.0
Total 153 122.6 4663.8

Arithmetic Average Method: 1 1

Pav   P  122.6  30.65 mm
n 4
Thiessen Polygon Method:

Pav 
 ( AP ) 4663.8
  30.48 mm
A 153 11
Problem #3 Estimate average precipitation using Isohyetal method for the given data:

Area
Average
Isohyets between
precipitation A (P1+P2)/2
P (cm) isohyets
(P1+P2) / 2
A (km2)
9
22 9.5 209
10
80 10.5 840
11
105 11.5 1208
12
98 12.5 1225
13
78 13.5 1053
14
16 14.5 232
15
Total 399 4767
Isohyetal method:
n 1
  Pi  Pi 1 
 A  2  4767
 
Pav  i 1    11.92 cm
A
12
399