CC50212 :

HYDROLOGY
1 CASE STUDY

CHAPTER2 :
2.1 Rainfall Intensity-duration –
Frequency (IDF)

Apply basi c concept applied hydrology i n ci vil engi neering.

(C3: CLO1:PLO1)
 Rainfall intensity–duration–frequency (IDF)
relationship .
The graph plot between maximum average rainfall intensity and duration.

Intensity = Rainfall depth

Duration

IDF curve for

particular frequency
of occurrence

https://youtu.be/VV00CaM48f8
WHY IDF???
To estimate rainfall intensities at different duration and reoccurrence
interval.
To estimate a certain rainfall rate for a specific volume flows
(discharge, Q)
To estimate recurrence time which may cause flooding.
To calculation of a peak flow needed to design hydraulic structures (e.g.,
storm sewers, culverts, drainage systems),
To assess and predict flood hazard,
 Rainfall characteristics Rain gauge distribution in Peninsula
Malaysia and rainfall zones (based
on seasonal and intensity).
1) Rainfall depth
- The amount of rainfall received
- Unit example mm, in.

2) Rainfall intensity
-The ratio of the total amount of rain (rainfall
depth) falling during a given period to the
duration of the period

- Rainfall intensity = Rainfall depth

duration
It is expressed in depth units per unit time,
usually as mm per hour (mm/h).
 3) Rainfall frequency 4) Return period
(Reoccurrence interval)
The same rainfall depth and The probability that events such as
duration occur at the same floods will occur.
period of time.
P=1
T (Tempoh flood event)
For example,
The frequency for a 3-hour rainfall total of 4.25 inches in Oklahoma
City is 25 years.
This means that, on the average, a 4.25 inch rainfall over three hours
occurs in Oklahoma City once every 25 years.

Return Period
For example, the return period of a flood might be 25years, expressed
as its probability of occurring being 1/25, or 4% in any one year.
P=(1/25 )x 100 = 4%
◦

Given 12 minutes duration

5 year frequency.
Rainfall Intensity = ?
Return Period=?
Maklumat intensity = 91mm/hr
tempoh masa = 9 jam
Given
Intensity =91mm/hr
Rain duration = 8 hour
Frequency/ARI = 50 tahun
Return Peroid , P= 1/50= 0.02
2% kebarangakalian mendapat flood event dalam masa setahun.
 2.2 Rainfall Data

Solve problem in applied hydrology for civil engineering

(C4, CLO2: PLO2)
 Arithmetic Mean Method
Arithmetic Mean/Average
• Simplest method for determining areal
average
P1 = 10 mm P1
P2 = 20 mm
P3 = 30 mm
P2
N
1
P
N
P
i 1
i

P3
10  20  30
P  20 mm
3

• Gages must be uniformly distributed

• Gage measurements should not vary greatly about
the mean
Example 3

Rain average , P = ∑Rainfall

Number of stations
= 5.6+4.9+5.2+5.5
4
= 5.3cm
Exercise 1
 Thiessen polygon method
• Any point in the watershed receives the same
amount of rainfall as that at the nearest gage P1
• Rainfall recorded at a gage can be applied to A1
any point at a distance halfway to the next
station in any direction P2

• Steps in Thiessen polygon method

A2
1. Draw lines joining adjacent gages
P3
2. Draw perpendicular bisectors to the lines
created in step 1 A3
3. Extend the lines created in step 2 in both
directions to form representative areas for
gages
4. Compute representative area for each gage P1 = 10 mm, A1 = 12 Km2
5. Compute the areal average using the following
P2 = 20 mm, A2 = 15 Km2
formulaN
1
P 
A i 1
Ai Pi P
12 10  15  20  20  30
 20.7 mm P3 = 30 mm, A3 = 20 km2
47
Example 4
◦ The table below shows the rainfall data and rain
gauge position for a catchment area. Determine
the average rainfall for this catchment area
using the Thiessen Polygon method.
Station Rainfall , Pi (mm) Catchment area , ai
(m2)
A 40.0 40.7
B 35.5 61.5
C 51.5 65.3
 N

Average Rainfall , P = 1 ∑ AiPi

A i=1

P=((40*40.7)+(35.5*61.5)+(51.5*65.5)m2xmm
∑(40.7+61.5+65.5)m2
= 7184.5 mm
167.7

Average Rainfall , P = = 42.81mm

(jawapan akhir mesti dalam range P yang diberikan untuk soalan
ini Antara 40-51.5mm)
Tutorial 2
A catchment has 8 gauging stations. Precipitation (cm) and
corresponding Thiessen polygon areas
in km2 (numbers in blue) are indicated in figure below .
Compute the average precipitation over the basin.

km2
 Isohyetal method
• Steps
– Construct isohyets (rainfall 10
contours)
20
– Compute area between P1
each pair of adjacent A1=5 , p1 = 5
isohyets (Ai) A2=18 , p2 = 15
– Compute average P2
precipitation for each pair of
A3=12 , p3 = 25
adjacent isohyets (pi)
– Compute areal average
using the following formula P3
30 A4=12 , p3 = 35
1M N
PP   Ai pA P
i i i
A
i 1 i 1

5  5  18 15  12  25  12  35
P  21.6 mm
47
Example 7
Estimate the mean precipitation
Area (km2)

A=30

B=140

A C=80
C B D=180
D
E=20
E
 or
The Isoyets due to storm is a catchment was drawn and the area of the
catchment bounded by Isohyets were tabulated as below . Estimate
the mean precipitation due to storm

Station Isohyets (cm) Area (km2)

A 12.0 (close) 30

B 12.0-10.0 140

C 10.0-8.0 80

D 8.0-6.0 180

E 6.0-4.0 20
Tutorial 3 : Estimate the mean precipitation by
using Isohyets method
Answer (tutorial 3)
Isohyets Average Area,km Fraction of Weighted
value of P, Total area P, mm
mm

Total

Mean Precipitation, mm = 19mm

Exercise 4
Using isohyet data in figure below, compute average
precipitation over the basin. Inter-isohyetal areas in km2 are
indicated in blue (bold) .
 ANSWER (exercise 4)
sStation Isohyets Average Area,km Fraction Weighted
value of of Total P, mm
P, mm area
i
ii
iii
iv
v

Mean precipitation= 6.897mm

Exercise 5
Estimate the mean precipitation by using
Isohyets method

Isohyets Upper
(mm) Lower(mm) Area between Isohyets (ha)
38 37 130
37 36 150
36 35 300
35 34 450
34 33 200
Exercise 6

◦ Calculate the mean areal precipitation for the following data

using the isohyetal method base on table below
◦ Isohyetal line , cm 1-3 3-6 6-9 9-12 12-15
Area between
◦ Isohyetal line, km2 85 175 120 128 92
 HYPOTESIS
3 METHODS USE
Arithmetic Mean/Average
Theissen Polygon
Isohyetal Methods
ON SAME WATESHED WITH SAME RAIN DATA SHOULD DISPLAY
SAME VALUE OF AVERAGE RAIN
And same value of rainfall area
Missing Precipitation Data

This situation will arise if data for rain gauges are missing
(e.g. instrument failure).
Data from surrounding gauges are used to estimate the missing data.
Two approaches are used:
a) The Normal ratio method
b) Quadrant Methods
The 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:

◦ Where:
◦ Pm = precipitation at the missing location
Pi = precipitation at index station
Nm = average annual rain at ‘missing data’ gauge
Ni = average annual rain at gauge
N = number of rain gauges
Example 8
Example 10
Tutorial 7:
Calculate for station K the missing rainfall data for the month of
July 83 when the rainfall data for other three stations J, P and N are
available as follows:ANS (9.2CM)
 Tutorial 8
Area catchment 120km2 have 5 stations rain gauge. In the last year, one
the stations has damage. Table below show rain data and annual
normal rain each station . By using The Ratio- Normal Method, estimate
the rainfall at the damage station.(FINAL)

Station Rain (in) Annual Normal

Rain (in)
A 5.25 29.0
B 4.90 33.5
C - 37.8
D 5.30 25.2
E 5.77 30.7
 Quadrant Methods
◦ A four-point weighted method where the unknown gage is the origin
and the region around
◦ this location is divided into four quadrants. The nearest gage in each
quadrant is used in a
◦ 4-point inverse distance relationship to estimate the value at the
unknown gage.
 Example 11:
The table below shows the rainfall data and rain gauge position for a
basin. Estimate rainfall for station A using the four quadrants.

Station Co-ordinate Rain , mm

A (1,1) -
B (0,3) 3
C (8,3) 3.5
D (2,-4) 4
E (5,2) 4.2
F (-3,3) 5
 B C
7
2 2
A E
1
1 4

4 5

F
4
1D
Answer
Station Rainfall,pi ΔX ΔY di = ai = ai p i
(1/(X2 + Y2)

B 3 1 2 0.2 0.576 1.728

C 3.5 7 2 0.019 0.054 0.1918

8
D 4 1 5 0.038 0.109 0.438
5
E 4.2 4 1 0.059 0.170 0.714

F 5 4 4 0.031 0.089 0.447

4
TOTAL ∑di=0.347 1.00 3.547

Rainfall at X station is 3.547mm

Tutorial 9
i) Based on table , calculate the rainfall depth at station G (0,0) by using the Quadrant Method.

Station A B C D E F G
Station (8,2) (7,-5) (5,10) (-5,-9) (-7,12) (-8,-10) (0,0)
Coordinate
Rainfall 22.3 20.6 23.0 33.6 40.7 34 ?
Depth(mm)
Consistency of Precipitation Data

Factor influence the inconsistent rainfall records .

a)Changes in the way of reading.
b)Changes to the rain gauge
c)Changes in gauge location
d)Exchange instrument / use new tools
e)vandalism
f)Fraud reading
Example of inconsistence data reading
Double-mass curve

Sa

So
 KECERUNAN=
(Y1-Y2

X1 Y1

X2 Y2
 Sa & So

Y1 – Y2 Y1-Y2

X1 – X2 X1-X2
Example 13
◦ Test the consistency of the 8 years of the data of the annual
precipitation measured at station X. Rainfall data for station X as well
as the average annual rainfall measured at a group of 8 neighboring
stations located in meteorologically region are given below.

Year Annual Rainfall Station X Annual Rainfall of 8

(cm) Stations Average (cm)

1987 70 55

1988 60 57

1989 50 37

1990 20 19

1991 26 28

1992 34 61

1993 30 55

1994 26 39
Answer
Year Station X(cm) Min Min Rainfall Min
Cumulative 8 stations Cumulative
Rainfall – (cm) at other
Suspect gauge
Gauge
1994 26 26 39 39

1993 30 56 55 94

1992 34 90 61 155

1991 26 28

1990 20 19

1989 50 37

1988 60 57

1987 70 55
So = Corrected slope of double mass curve
Sa= Original slope of mass curve
Correction ratio = Sa/So

So

Sa
Sa = Y2- Y1 So= Y2- Y1
X2 – X1 X2 – X1

K = Sa/So

Year Rainfall ( Annual rainfall Station X *

k)

1989 K x 50=
1988 K x 60 =
1987 K x 70=
Real data ( After correction )
Tutorial 10
•Table below shows the X station rainfall and average annual rainfall of
8 stations nearby. Analyze the consistency of annual rainfall at the X
station and with corrective action of inconsistency using Double Mass
Curve Method
Year Rainfall at Average Rainfall
station X(cm) of 8
stations(cm)
2018 30 55
2017 27 50
2016 26 28
2015 28 19
2014 55 37
2013 58 57