COMPUTATION OF AVERAGE

RAINFALL OVER A BASIN

 ARITHMETIC MEAN METHOD

CAN BE USED FOR:

• STORM RAINFALL
• MONTHLY OR ANNUAL RAINFALL COMPUTATIONS

σ 𝐷𝑟
𝑃=
𝑛
WHERE:
𝐷𝑟 = RAIN DEPTH RECORDED
N = NUMBER OF STATIONS
 THEISSEN POLYGON METHOD

THIS METHOD IS MORE SUITABLE UNDER THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS:

• FOR AREA OF MODERATE SIZE
• WHEN RAINFALL SITUATIONS ARE FEW COMPARED TO THE SIZE OF THE BASIN
• IN LOW RUGGED AREAS

𝐴𝑖 𝑃1 𝐴1 +𝑃2 𝐴2 +𝑃3 𝐴3 +⋯+𝑃𝑛 𝐴𝑛

𝑃 = σ𝑛𝑖 𝑃𝑛 =
𝐴𝑡 𝐴1 +𝐴2 +𝐴3 +⋯+𝐴𝑛
WHERE:
𝑃𝑛 = VALUE OF RAIN GAUGE
𝐴𝑛 = AREA OF POLYGON
𝐴𝑡 = TOTAL AREA
 THEISSEN POLYGON
METHOD

PROCEDURE IN CONSTRUCTING THE POLYGON:

STEP 1:
DRAW THE AREA CONCERNED TO A SUITABLE
SCALE, SHOWING ITS BOUNDARY, LOCATIONS
OF THE RAIN GAUGES (P) IN THE AREA AND
OUTSIDE BUT CLOSE TO THE BOUNDARY.
 THEISSEN POLYGON
METHOD

STEP 2:
PLOT THE POINTS TO JOIN THE LOCATIONS OF
THE RAIN GAUGES FORMING A NETWORK OF
TRIANGLES
 THEISSEN POLYGON
METHOD

STEP 3:
DRAW PERPENDICULAR BISECTORS TO THE
TRIANGLE SIDES. THESE BISECTORS FORM
POLYGONS AROUND THE STATIONS
 THEISSEN POLYGON
METHOD

STEP 4:
TRACE TO FORM THE POLYGONS AND
MEASURE THEIR AREAS
 ISOHYETAL METHOD
THIS METHOD IS MORE SUITED UNDER THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS:
• FOR HILLY AND RUGGED AREAS
• FOR LARGE AREAS OVER 5000 SQ. KM
• FOR AREAS WHERE THE NETWORK OF RAINFALL STATIONS WITHIN THE STORM AREA IS
SUFFICIENTLY DENSE, THIS METHOD GIVES MORE ACCURATE DISTRIBUTION OF RAINFALL.

𝑃1 + 𝑃2 𝑃 + 𝑃3 𝑃 + 𝑃𝑛
𝐴1 + 𝐴2 2 + ⋯ + 𝐴𝑛−1 𝑛−1
𝑃𝐴𝑉𝐸 = 2 2 2
𝐴1 + 𝐴2 + 𝐴3 + ⋯ + 𝐴𝑛−1
WHERE: 𝑃𝑖 = VALUE OF ISOHYET LINES
𝐴𝑖 = AREA BETWEEN PAIRS OF ISOHYET LINES
 ISOHYETAL METHOD

• PROCEDURE IN MAKING AN ISOHYETAL MAP:

STEP 1:
DRAW THE AREA UNDER STUDY TO SCALE AND MARK RAIN
GAUGES ON IT.
 ISOHYETAL METHOD

STEP 2:
DRAW THE ISOHYETS OF VARIOUS VALUES BY CONSIDERING
THE POINT RAINFALL DATA AS GUIDELINES AND
INTERPOLATING BETWEEN THEM.

STEP 3:
DETERMINE AREA BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF THE ISOHYET
LINES, EITHER BY A PLANIMETER OR BY CONVERTING THE
AREAS INTO SMALLER REGULAR GEOMETRIC SHAPES