04/20/2006

Design Storms
Reading: Applied Hydrology Sec 14.1 14.4

Design Storm

Design storm precipitation pattern defined

for use in the design of hydrologic system
Serves as an input to the hydrologic system
Can by defined by:
1. Hyetograph (time distribution of rainfall)
2. Isohyetal map (spatial distribution of rainfall)

Extreme value (EV) distributions

Extreme values maximum or minimum
values of sets of data
Annual maximum discharge, annual minimum
discharge
When the number of selected extreme values
is large, the distribution converges to one of
the three forms of EV distributions called Type
I, II and III
3

EV type I distribution
If M1, M2, Mn be a set of daily rainfall or streamflow,
and let X = max(Mi) be the maximum for the year. If
Mi are independent and identically distributed, then
for large n, X has an extreme value type I or Gumbel
distribution.
f ( x)

x u
x u
exp
exp

6sx

u x 0.5772

Distribution of annual maximum streamflow follows an EV1 distribution

4

EV type III distribution

If Wi are the minimum streamflows
in different days of the year, let X =
min(Wi) be the smallest. X can be
described by the EV type III or
Weibull distribution.
k x
f ( x )

k 1

x k
exp

x 0; , k 0

Distribution of low flows (eg. 7-day min flow)

follows EV3 distribution.

Design point precipitation

Historic data of precipitation is available
Precipitation data are converted to different
durations (Table 3.4.1)
Annual maximum precipitation for a given
duration is selected for each year
Frequency analysis is performed to derive
design precipitation depths for different
return periods
The depths are converted to intensities by
dividing by precipitation durations
6

IDF curves by frequency analysis

1. Get annual maximum series of precipitation
depth for a given duration
2. Use EV1/Gumbel distribution to find
precipitation depth for different return
periods
3. Repeat 1 and 2 process for different
durations
4. Plot depth versus duration for different
frequencies
7

IDF curve

Example 14.2.1

Determine i and P for a 20-min duration storm with 5-yr return period in
Chicago

From the IDF curve for Chicago,

i = 3.5 in/hr for Td = 20 min and T
= 5yr

P = i x Td = 3.5 x 20/60 = 1.17 in

TP 40
Hershfield (1961) developed isohyetal maps of
design rainfall and published in TP 40.
TP 40 U. S. Weather Bureau technical paper no. 40.
Also called precipitation frequency atlas maps or
precipitation atlas of the United States.
30mins to 24hr maps for T = 1 to 100

Web resources for TP 40 and rainfall frequency maps

http://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/agwa/rainfall_frequency.ht
ml
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/hq/Tp40s.htm
http://hdsc.nws.noaa.gov/hdsc/pfds/
10

24-hour Design Rainfall Totals

http://onlinemanuals.txdot.gov/txdotmanuals/hyd/ebdlkup.xls

Rainfall Frequency Analysis from TP-40

tc = time of concentration in minutes (not less than 10 minutes)

I = rainfall intensity (inches/hour)

http://onlinemanuals.txdot.gov/txdotmanuals/hyd/the_rational_method.htm#i999837

Rainfall Frequency Analysis in Texas

b
I
(t c d ) e

2642
I
(tc 8.8) 0.805

2642
I
(1440 8.8) 0.805

For tc = 24 hours = 24*60 = 1440 min, I = 7.53 inches/hour

2yr-60min precipitation map

This map is from

HYDRO 35 (another
publication from
NWS) which
supersedes TP 40

14

Design precipitation for Austin

15

IDF curves for Austin

i

i design rainfall intensity

t Duration of storm

t b c

a, b, c coefficients

Storm Frequency

16

2-year

106.29

16.81

0.9076

14

5-year

99.75

16.74

0.8327

2-yr
5-yr
10-yr
25-yr
50-yr
100-yr
500-yr

10-year

96.84

15.88

0.7952

25-year

111.07

17.23

0.7815

50-year

119.51

17.32

0.7705

100-year

129.03

17.83

0.7625

Intensity (in/hr)

12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1

500-year

160.57

19.64

0.7449

Source: City of Austin, Watershed Management Division

10

100

1000

Duration (min)

16

Design Precipitation Hyetographs

Most often hydrologists are interested in

precipitation hyetographs and not just the
peak estimates.
Techniques for developing design
precipitation hyetographs
1. SCS method
2. Triangular hyetograph method
3. Using IDF relationships (Alternating block method)
17

SCS Method
SCS

(1973) adopted method similar to DDF to develop dimensionless rainfall

temporal patterns called type curves for four different regions in the US.
SCS type curves are in the form of percentage mass (cumulative) curves based on
24-hr rainfall of the desired frequency.
If a single precipitation depth of desired frequency is known, the SCS type curve is
rescaled (multiplied by the known number) to get the time distribution.
For durations less than 24 hr, the steepest part of the type curve for required
duraction is used

18

SCS type curves for Texas (II&III)

SCS 24-Hour Rainfall Distributions
T (hrs)

SCS 24-Hour Rainfall Distributions

Fraction of 24-hr rainfall

Type II

T (hrs)

Type III

Fraction of 24-hr rainfall

Type II

Type III

0.0

0.000

0.000

11.5

0.283

0.298

1.0

0.011

0.010

11.8

0.357

0.339

2.0

0.022

0.020

12.0

0.663

0.500

3.0

0.034

0.031

12.5

0.735

0.702

4.0

0.048

0.043

13.0

0.772

0.751

5.0

0.063

0.057

13.5

0.799

0.785

6.0

0.080

0.072

14.0

0.820

0.811

7.0

0.098

0.089

15.0

0.854

0.854

8.0

0.120

0.115

16.0

0.880

0.886

8.5

0.133

0.130

17.0

0.903

0.910

9.0

0.147

0.148

18.0

0.922

0.928

9.5

0.163

0.167

19.0

0.938

0.943

9.8

0.172

0.178

20.0

0.952

0.957

10.0

0.181

0.189

21.0

0.964

0.969

10.5

0.204

0.216

22.0

0.976

0.981

11.0

0.235

0.250

23.0

0.988

0.991

24.0

1.000

1.000

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SCS Method Steps

Given Td and frequency/T, find the design

hyetograph
1. Compute P/i (from DDF/IDF curves or equations)
2. Pick a SCS type curve based on the location
3. If Td = 24 hour, multiply (rescale) the type curve with P to
get the design mass curve
1.

If Td is less than 24 hr, pick the steepest part of the type curve
for rescaling

4. Get the incremental precipitation from the rescaled

mass curve to develop the design hyetograph

20

Example SCS Method

Find - rainfall hyetograph for a 25-year, 24-hour duration SCS
Type-III storm in Harris County using a one-hour time
increment
a = 81, b = 7.7, c = 0.724 (from Tx-DOT hydraulic manual)
i

a
81

0.417 in / hr
c
t b 24 * 60 7.7 0.724

P i *Td 0.417in / hr * 24 hr 10.01in

Find
Cumulative fraction - interpolate SCS table
Cumulative rainfall = product of cumulative fraction * total 24-hour
rainfall (10.01 in)
Incremental rainfall = difference between current and preceding
cumulative rainfall
TxDOT hydraulic manual is available at:
http://manuals.dot.state.tx.us/docs/colbridg/forms/hyd.pdf
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SCS Example (Cont.)

(hours)

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24

Cumulative
Fraction

Cumulative
Precipitation

Incremental
Precipitation

Pt/P24

Pt (in)

(in)

0.000
0.010
0.020
0.032
0.043
0.058
0.072
0.089
0.115
0.148
0.189
0.250
0.500
0.751
0.811
0.849
0.886
0.904
0.922
0.939
0.957
0.968
0.979
0.989
1.000

0.00
0.10
0.20
0.32
0.43
0.58
0.72
0.89
1.15
1.48
1.89
2.50
5.01
7.52
8.12
8.49
8.87
9.05
9.22
9.40
9.58
9.69
9.79
9.90
10.01

0.00
0.10
0.10
0.12
0.12
0.15
0.15
0.17
0.26
0.33
0.41
0.61
2.50
2.51
0.60
0.38
0.38
0.18
0.18
0.18
0.18
0.11
0.11
0.11
0.11

3.00

2.50

Precipitation (in)

Time

2.00

1.50

1.00

0.50

0.00
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Time (hours)

If a hyetograph for less than 24 needs to be prepared,

pick time intervals that include the steepest part of the
type curve (to capture peak rainfall). For 3-hr pick 11 to
13, 6-hr pick 9 to 14 and so on.
22

Triangular Hyetograph Method

Rainfall intensity, i

ta

Td: hyetograph base length = precipitation duration

tb

ta: time before the peak

r

ta
Td

Td

Time

r: storm advancement coefficient = ta/Td

tb: recession time = Td ta = (1-r)Td
1
P Td h
2
2P
h
Td

Given Td and frequency/T, find the design hyetograph

1. Compute P/i (from DDF/IDF curves or equations)
2. Use above equations to get ta, tb, Td and h (r is available for
various locations)
23

Triangular hyetograph - example

Find - rainfall hyetograph for a 25-year, 6-hour duration in
Harris County. Use storm advancement coefficient of 0.5.
a = 81, b = 7.7, c = 0.724 (from Tx-DOT hydraulic manual)
a
81

1.12 in / hr
c
t b 6 * 60 7.7 0.724

2 P 2 6.72 13.44

2.24 in / hr
Td
6
6

t a rTd 0.5 6 3 hr
tb Td ta 6 3 3 hr

P i * 6 1.12 in / hr * 6 hr 6.72 in

Rainfall intensity, in/hr

24

3 hr

3 hr

2.24

6 hr

Time

Alternating block method

Given Td and T/frequency, develop a hyetograph in
Dt increments
1. Using T, find i for Dt, 2Dt, 3Dt,nDt using the IDF curve for
the specified location
2. Using i compute P for Dt, 2Dt, 3Dt,nDt. This gives
cumulative P.
3. Compute incremental precipitation from cumulative P.
4. Pick the highest incremental precipitation (maximum
block) and place it in the middle of the hyetograph. Pick
the second highest block and place it to the right of the
maximum block, pick the third highest block and place it
to the left of the maximum block, pick the fourth highest
block and place it to the right of the maximum block (after
second block), and so on until the last block.
25

Example: Alternating Block Method

Find: Design precipitation hyetograph for a 2-hour storm (in 10
minute increments) in Denver with a 10-year return period 10minute

Duration
(min)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120

Td

Intensity
(in/hr)
4.158
3.002
2.357
1.943
1.655
1.443
1.279
1.149
1.044
0.956
0.883
0.820

Td

Cumulative
Depth
(in)
0.693
1.001
1.178
1.296
1.379
1.443
1.492
1.533
1.566
1.594
1.618
1.639

i design rainfall intensity

96.6

0.97

13.90

Incremental
Depth
(in)
0.693
0.308
0.178
0.117
0.084
0.063
0.050
0.040
0.033
0.028
0.024
0.021

Td Duration of storm
c, e, f coefficients

0.8
Time
(min)
0-10
10-20
20-30
30-40
40-50
50-60
60-70
70-80
80-90
90-100
100-110
110-120

Precip
(in)
0.024
0.033
0.050
0.084
0.178
0.693
0.308
0.117
0.063
0.040
0.028
0.021

0.7
0.6

Precipitation (in)

0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
0-10 10-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60-70 70-80 80-90

26

Time (min)

90100

100110

110120

Design aerial precipitation

Point precipitation estimates are extended to
develop an average precipitation depth over
an area
Depth-area-duration analysis
Prepare isohyetal maps from point precipitation
for different durations
Determine area contained within each isohyet
Plot average precipitation depth vs. area for each
duration
27

Depth-area curve

(World Meteorological28Organization, 1983)

Study by Will Asquith, USGS

http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri99-4267/pdf/wri99-4267.pdf

http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri99-4267/pdf/wri99-4267.pdf

http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri99-4267/pdf/wri99-4267.pdf

Depth (intensity)-duration-frequency
DDF/IDF graph of depth (intensity) versus
duration for different frequencies
TP 40 or HYDRO 35 gives spatial distribution of
rainfall depths for a given duration and frequency
DDF/IDF curve gives depths for different durations
and frequencies at a particular location
TP 40 or HYDRO 35 can be used to develop
DDF/IDF curves

Depth (P) = intensity (i) x duration (Td)

P iTd
32

Probable Maximum Precipitation

Probable maximum precipitation

Greatest depth of precipitation for a given duration that
is physically possible and reasonably characteristic over a
particular geographic region at a certain time of year
Not completely reliable; probability of occurrence is
unknown

Variety of methods to estimate PMP

1. Application of storm models
2. Maximization of actual storms
3. Generalized PMP charts
33

Probable Maximum Storm

Probable maximum storm
Temporal distribution of rainfall
Given as maximum accumulated depths for a
specified duration
Information on spatial and temporal distribution
of PMP is required to develop probable maximum
storm hyetograph

34

Probable Maximum Flood

PMF greatest flood to be expected assuming
complete coincidence of all factors that would
produce the heaviest rainfall (PMP) and maximum
runoff
Flood of unknown frequency
Most structures are not designed for PMF, but for greatest
floods that may be reasonably expected for local
conditions (meteorology, topography, and hydrology)
The design flood is commonly called standard project flood
derived from standard project storm
35