Analysis of extreme rainfall in the Ebre Observatory (Spain)

What is it about?

The master equation of the Intensity–duration–frequency (IDF) curves in the Ebre Observatory (Tarragona, Spain) was obtained, as well as the probable maximum precipitation (PMP) for durations between 5 minutes and 24 hours. Extreme rainfall events recorded by this observatory were analyzed and classified according to their temporal scale. Besides the cases corresponding to the three main meteorological scales, local, mesoscale, and synoptic, a fourth group constituted by complex events with high-intensity rates for a large range of durations was identified also, indicating the contribution of different scale meteorological processes acting together in the origin of the rainfall.

Featured Image

Photo by Akshar Dave on Unsplash

Photo by Akshar Dave on Unsplash

Why is it important?

It is not usual to have rainfall series so extensive, so complete and with such verifiable quality like those used in this work, obtained from the digitalization of the strip charts recorded by syphon gauges for almost a century, between 1905 and 2003. In our opinion this study can contribute with valuable information to the knowledge of the climatology in the Western Mediterranean area.