Short Duration Rainfall Frequency Analysis in Michigan Using Scale-Invariance Assumptions

Intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) estimates are important statistical summaries of precipitation records used for hydrologic engineering design. To make use of recent data and modern statistical methods, the IDF estimates for the state of Michigan have been updated using a regional frequency analysis procedure. Since short duration data (less than one hour) are only available in the Detroit metropolitan area, scale-invariance assumptions are used to estimate short-duration IDF values throughout the state. Both simple scaling and multiscaling models are considered, and the simple scaling model is selected for practical purposes. Verification results indicate that the short-duration estimates are consistent with historical observations.