CH 2
CH 2
1 PRECIPITATION
Precipitation –the total amount of water falling from the
atmosphere in the form of rain , snow , mist , etc. on the
earth.
The phenomena from its formation to reaching to the
ground are counted under meteorology and the amount as it
reaches to the ground is tackled by hydrology.
Conditions for Occurrence of Precipitation
Moisture in the atmosphere
Cooling of air mass
Formation of clouds due to Condensation
Condensation is the process by which water vapor in the
atmosphere is converted in to droplets or , at low
temperatures , in to ice crystals.
Growth of water droplets
Forms of Precipitation
Where
N : number of stations;
Ep : the allowable percentage error in the estimation of
the mean annual rainfall;
Cv : the coefficient of variation of the rainfall from the
existing n stations in percentage.
Rain Gage Network Design…
• The allowable percentage of error E p is normally taken as
10%.
• While computing the value of C v if the value comes less
than 10%, we can assume the existing stations to be
sufficient for the basin.
• In case N > n, the additional stations required for the basin
can be found as (N-n).
Site where gauge should be located
• Open place and easily accessible
• The distance between the rain gage and the nearest object
should be at least twice the height of the object
• In the hills where it is difficult to find level space, the site
for the gage should be chosen where it is best shielded
from high winds and where the wind doesn’t cause eddies
• A fence, if erected to protect the gage from cattle, etc,
should be located that the distance of the fence is not less
than twice its height
Cont….
Errors in measuring Rainfall data
A number of errors can occur in the measurement of
rain fall with a rain gauge.
These errors are due to:
Airflow
Unrepresentative orientation and exposure of the gauge
80 1000
Intensity (mm/hr)
60 800
600 Intensity
Depth (mm)
40 Rainfall
400
20 200
0 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Duration (min) Duration (min)
Cummulative
Cummulative Depth
Mass Curve
500
400
(MM)
300
200
100
0
0 10 20 30 40 50
Duration (min)
Estimation of Areal rain fall……
The spatial variation of rainfall shows the same amount
of rainfall doesn’t fall uniformly over the entire
catchments .
Isohyets are used to show the variation of rainfall.
spatial
Isohyets are lines joining points of equal magnitude in a
map.
During a given storm, it is likely that the depth measured
by two or more rain gauges of the same type will not be
the same.
In hydrologic analysis, it is often necessary to determine
a spatial average of the rainfall depth over the
catchment.
Estimation of Areal rain fall……
P1
P3 P5
P2 Average
Rainfall
P4
P6
Arithmetic mean method
P1
A1
A2 P2
A4
A3 P4 P5
A5
P3
A6
P6 A7
P7
Theissen Polygons method….
This method gives good results when the rain gauges
are not evenly distributed over the area in both flat
and hilly terrain.
P1
• Thiessen Method : Example A1
A2 P2
A4
A3 P4 P5
A5
P3
A6
P6 A7
P7
Isohyetal method
0
Isohyet is a line 0
10
0 0 0
joining points of equal 0
rainfall magnitude 1 4 16 11
11
• Most accurate method Isohyetes 10
19
11
62
45
9
45 27 10
•Incorporates the orographic • All figures are in mm
25
1
25 0
effect 65 50
50
Monthly isohyetal map (sample )
Isohyetal Method: Steps
Steps.....
NO
IsIs Diff.<
Diff < 10%
10%? Normal Ratio
YES
Arithmetic Average
Example : Estimation of Missing Rainfall Data, Stations from
Ethiopia
Station Name Monthly data, Normal annual Rainfall % Difference
July, 1980 (mm) (mm)
Quiha ? 472 _
2 89 935 4.4
4 ? 978 -
m2
m1
30000
25000
Cumulative of X after correction
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000
Cummulative of Surrounding Stations