Notice of Intent to Award - University of Wisconsin-Madison This research and work will be the spatial and temporal variability of precipitation can lead to a wide range of flood outcomes, only some of which have actually been experienced.
The limits of historical rainfall data translate to uncertainty
in flood hazard estimates.
The RainyDay© software, developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UWM) in collaboration with NASA, uses the SST technique to create both rainfall intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves and large numbers of realistic extreme rainfall scenarios from short records.
SST is able to produce accurate IDF and flood estimates with return periods of at least 1000 years using only 10 years of input data, while a new 33-year, 100-member ensemble rainfall dataset will enable simulation of much rarer storms and better estimation of uncertainties.
Rainfall scenarios from RainyDay can combine with hydrologic models to provide robust estimates of flood hazard and uncertainty.
The UWM has specific expertise and experience with RainyDay©.
The end result of this project will allow water mangers and the public access to RainyDay© for their own use.