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)

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 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

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 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.
1  x u  x  u 
f ( x)  exp   exp  
     
6sx
 u  x  0.5772


Distribution of annual maximum streamflow follows an EV1 distribution

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 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 
k 1
  x k 
f ( x)     exp     x  0;  , k  0
         

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

follows EV3 distribution.

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 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
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 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
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IDF curve

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 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

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 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/

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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

I

b 2642 2642
I I I
(t c  d ) e (tc  8.8) 0.805 (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

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Design precipitation for Austin

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 IDF curves for Austin
a i  design rainfall intensity
i t  Duration of storm
t  b c a, b, c  coefficients

Storm Frequency a b c 16

2-year 14
106.29 16.81 0.9076 2-yr
5-yr
12 10-yr
5-year 99.75 16.74 0.8327 25-yr

Intensity (in/hr)
10 50-yr
10-year 96.84 15.88 0.7952 100-yr
8 500-yr

25-year 111.07 17.23 0.7815 6

4
50-year 119.51 17.32 0.7705
2
100-year 129.03 17.83 0.7625
0
1 10 100 1000
500-year 160.57 19.64 0.7449 Duration (min)

Source: City of Austin, Watershed Management Division 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)

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 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

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SCS type curves for Texas (II&III)
SCS 24-Hour Rainfall Distributions SCS 24-Hour Rainfall Distributions
T (hrs) Fraction of 24-hr rainfall T (hrs) Fraction of 24-hr rainfall

Type II Type III 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
19 24.0 1.000 1.000
 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

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 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 P  i *Td  0.417 in / hr * 24 hr  10.01in
t  b  24 * 60  7.7 0.724
c

• 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.)
Time Cumulative Cumulative Incremental
Fraction Precipitation Precipitation 3.00

(hours) Pt/P24 Pt (in) (in)

2.50
0 0.000 0.00 0.00
1 0.010 0.10 0.10
2 0.020 0.20 0.10
2.00

Precipitation (in)
3 0.032 0.32 0.12
4 0.043 0.43 0.12
5 0.058 0.58 0.15
6 0.072 0.72 0.15 1.50
7 0.089 0.89 0.17
8 0.115 1.15 0.26
9 0.148 1.48 0.33 1.00
10 0.189 1.89 0.41
11 0.250 2.50 0.61
12 0.500 5.01 2.50 0.50
13 0.751 7.52 2.51
14 0.811 8.12 0.60
15 0.849 8.49 0.38
0.00
16 0.886 8.87 0.38
17 0.904 9.05 0.18 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
18 0.922 9.22 0.18 Time (hours)
19 0.939 9.40 0.18
20 0.957 9.58 0.18
21 0.968 9.69 0.11
22 0.979 9.79 0.11 If a hyetograph for less than 24 needs to be prepared,
23 0.989 9.90 0.11
24 1.000 10.01 0.11 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.
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 Triangular Hyetograph Method
Td: hyetograph base length = precipitation duration
ta tb
ta: time before the peak
Rainfall intensity, i

ta r: storm advancement coefficient = ta/Td

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

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 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)

i
a

81
 1.12 in / hr P  i * 6  1.12 in / hr * 6 hr  6.72 in
t  b  6 * 60  7.7 0.724
c

2 P 2  6.72 13.44
h    2.24 in / hr
Td 6 6 3 hr 3 hr

Rainfall intensity, in/hr

t a  rTd  0.5  6  3 hr
tb  Td  ta  6  3  3 hr 2.24

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.
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 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 10-
minute

i  design rainfall intensity

c 96.6
i  Td  Duration of storm
Td  e
f Td  0.97
 13.90 c, e, f  coefficients

0.8
Cumulative Incremental
Duration Intensity Depth Depth Time Precip
0.7
(min) (in/hr) (in) (in) (min) (in)
10 4.158 0.693 0.693 0-10 0.024
20 3.002 1.001 0.308 10-20 0.033 0.6
30 2.357 1.178 0.178 20-30 0.050

Precipitation (in)
40 1.943 1.296 0.117 30-40 0.084 0.5
50 1.655 1.379 0.084 40-50 0.178
60 1.443 1.443 0.063 50-60 0.693 0.4
70 1.279 1.492 0.050 60-70 0.308
80 1.149 1.533 0.040 70-80 0.117 0.3
90 1.044 1.566 0.033 80-90 0.063
100 0.956 1.594 0.028 90-100 0.040 0.2
110 0.883 1.618 0.024 100-110 0.028
120 0.820 1.639 0.021 110-120 0.021 0.1

0.0
0-10 10-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60-70 70-80 80-90 90- 100- 110-
100 110 120
Time (min)
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 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
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 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
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 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

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 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

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 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

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