DEPARTMENT OF CI VI L ENGI N EERI N G

PRECIPITATION
Second Semester | 2023-2024 | [email protected]
 Today's
Outline
Topic Highlights
Density of a Rain Gauge Network
Estimation of Missing Rainfall Data
Spatial Interpolation Methods for Rainfall Calculation
 𝒄𝒗 𝟐
𝑵=
𝜺
𝑵 = optimal number of stations; 𝒄𝒗 = coefficient of variation of
rainfall values; 𝛆 = allowable degree of estimate error. Considering 𝑚
existing stations,

𝜎𝑚−1
𝑐𝑣 =
𝑃ത
Density of a
Rain Gauge
𝑚
σ𝑖=1 𝑃𝑖 − 𝑃ത 2
𝜎𝑚−1 =
Network 𝑚−1
(SUBRAMANYA, 2008)
A catchment has four rain gauge stations. The annual rainfall recorded by the gauges
are as follows:

Station A B C D
Rainfall (mm) 60.10 143.50 200.75 110.25

Calculate the optimum number of stations in the catchment, allowing a 10% estimation
error.
60.10 + 143.50 + 200.75 + 110.25
𝑃ത = = 128.65 𝑚𝑚
4
෍ 𝑃𝑖 − 𝑃ത 2 = 60.10 − 128.65 2 + 143.50 − 128.65 2 + 200.75 − 128.65 2 + 110.25 − 128.65 2

෍ 𝑃𝑖 − 𝑃ത 2 = 10456.595 𝑚𝑚2

σ𝑚 𝑃𝑖 − 𝑃ത 2 𝑐𝑣 2
𝑖=1 𝜎𝑚−1 𝑁=
𝜎𝑚−1 = 𝑐𝑣 = 𝜀
𝑚−1 𝑃ത 2
59.0384 𝑚𝑚 0.4589
10456.595 𝑚𝑚2 𝑐𝑣 = = 0.4589 𝑁= = 21.06
128.65 𝑚𝑚 0.10
𝜎𝑚−1 = = 59.0384 𝑚𝑚
4−1 𝑵 = 𝟐𝟏 stations
A catchment has four rain gauge stations. The annual rainfall recorded by the gauges
are as follows:

Station A B C D
Rainfall (mm) 60.10 143.50 200.75 110.25

Calculate the optimum number of stations in the catchment, allowing a 5% estimation

error.
60.10 + 143.50 + 200.75 + 110.25
𝑃ത = = 128.65 𝑚𝑚
4
෍ 𝑃𝑖 − 𝑃ത 2 = 60.10 − 128.65 2 + 143.50 − 128.65 2 + 200.75 − 128.65 2 + 110.25 − 128.65 2

෍ 𝑃𝑖 − 𝑃ത 2 = 10456.595 𝑚𝑚2

σ𝑚 𝑃𝑖 − 𝑃ത 2 𝑐𝑣 2
𝑖=1 𝜎𝑚−1 𝑁=
𝜎𝑚−1 = 𝑐𝑣 = 𝜀
𝑚−1 𝑃ത 2
59.0384 𝑚𝑚 0.4589
10456.595 𝑚𝑚2 𝑐𝑣 = = 0.4589 𝑁= = 84.24
128.65 𝑚𝑚 0.05
𝜎𝑚−1 = = 59.0384 𝑚𝑚
4−1 𝑵 = 𝟖𝟒 stations
The National Weather Service provides guidelines on the density of a rain gauge
network, suggesting that the minimum number of gauges for a local flood warning
network is given by 𝑁 = 𝐴0.33 where 𝐴 is the catchment’s area in square miles. How many
rainfall gauges should be stationed within Cagayan River Basin if its area is 10500 𝑚𝑖 2 .

𝑁 = 𝐴0.33
𝑁 = (10500)0.33
N = 21.23 stations
𝑵 = 𝟐𝟏 stations
 NORMAL RATIO METHOD

𝒎
𝑵𝒙 𝑷𝒊
𝑷𝒙 = ෍
𝑴 𝑵𝒊
𝒊=𝟏
𝑷𝒙 = missing rainfall data at point 𝑥; 𝑵 = normal annual rainfall
at a station; 𝑷 = annual rainfall at a station; 𝑴 = number of
stations having complete data.
Normal rainfall represents the long-term rainfall average over a
30-year period.

Estimating
Missing Data
A catchment has five rain gauge stations. The rainfall data for each station in 2013 was
given below.

Station A B C D E
Rainfall (mm) 50.20 100.05 - 110.25 73.50
Normal Rainfall (mm) 35.50 96.82 88.30 90.15 67.42

Estimate the amount of rainfall in Station C for the same year.

𝑚
𝑁𝑥 𝑃𝑖
𝑃𝑥 = ෍
𝑀 𝑁𝑖
𝑖=1
88.30 50.20 100.05 110.25 73.50
𝑃𝐶 = + + +
4 35.50 96.82 90.15 67.42
𝑷𝑪 = 𝟏𝟎𝟓. 𝟎𝟗 𝒎𝒎
Arithmetic Mean Thiessen Polygon
Method Method

Inverse Distance
Isohyetal Method
Weighting Method

Spatial Interpolation Methods

for Rainfall Calculation
 It is the simplest method
to estimate rainfall.

The mean of the station values is

taken as the precipitation over
the catchment area.

Arithmetic It is rarely used as it does

not account the spatial

Mean Method distribution of rainfall.

𝒎
σ𝒊=𝟏 𝑷𝒊 It does not provide
ഥ= representative measurements
𝑷 of rainfall in most cases.
𝒎
It is only used when
variations in rainfall
values are minimal.
The rainfall records for five neighboring gauge stations were given below.

Station A B C D E
Rainfall (mm) 105.30 100.05 115.43 110.25 98.32

What is the average precipitation in the basin?

105.30 + 100.05 + 115.43 + 110.25 + 98.32

𝑃ത =
5
ഥ = 𝟏𝟎𝟓. 𝟖𝟕 𝒎𝒎
𝑷
The rainfall records for five neighboring gauge stations were given below.

Station A B C D E
Rainfall (mm) 88.30 50.05 198.56 101.28 121.11

What is the average precipitation in the basin?

88.30 + 50.05 + 198.56 + 101.28 + 121.11

𝑃ത =
5
𝑷ഥ = 𝟏𝟏𝟏. 𝟖𝟔 𝒎𝒎
 It is assumed that the estimated
values may be related to the
observed values of the nearest
station.

It requires the construction of a

Thiessen polygon network.

Thiessen The area of the Thiessen polygon is

divided to the total area of the

Polygon catchment to determine the weight

of the rainfall value at a station.

Method The polygon must be changed

every time a station is added or
𝒎 deleted from the network.
𝑨𝒊
ഥ = ෍ 𝑷𝒊
𝑷 It is superior to the arithmetic
𝑨 method as some weightage is
𝒊=𝟏 given to various stations on a
rational basis.
Determine the average rainfall in the basin shown below, using the Thiessen Polygon
Method.

Station A B C D E F
Rainfall (mm) 50.20 100.05 88.47 110.25 73.50 146.32
Bounding Area (m2) 150 415 325 750 540 397

Total = 150 + 415 + 325 + 750 + 540 + 397

= 2577 m2
𝑚
𝐴𝑖
𝑃ത = ෍ 𝑃𝑖
𝐴
𝑖=1

150 415 325

𝑃ത = 50.20 + 100.05 + 88.47
2577 2577 2577
750 540 397
+ 110.25 + 73.50 + 146.32
2577 2577 2577
ഥ = 𝟏𝟎𝟎. 𝟐𝟐 𝒎𝒎
𝑷
 THANK YOU
FOR LISTENING!