Stochastic Generation of Internal Storm Structure at a Point

ABSTRACT SEVERAL agricultural management models use breakpoint rainfall as input to increase the accuracy of runoff prediction. However, there are relatively few locations with significant lengths of measured breakpoint rainfall available. Therefore, it is frequently of importance to model the temporal structure of a point rainfall process. A simple model was developed to generate 0.5 h rainfall intensities based on the assumption that within storm rainfall amounts are exponentially distributed. The model was tested at five locations throughout the U.S. and did a realistic job simulating peak 0.5 h intensities, durations and peak 0.5 h intensity locations. Coupled with a daily rainfall generator, the model should be useful for simulation models requiring breakpoint rainfall.