A simple procedure for the real-time estimation of the average rainfall over a catchment area is described. The rainfall is modelled as a 2-dimensional random field (RF). The average areal rainfall is computed by a linear unbiased minimum variance estimation method (Kriging) which requires the knowledge of the variogram of the random field. A time-varying estimator for the variogram which takes into account the influences of both the seasonal variations and the rainfall intensity is proposed. The average areal rainfall estimator has been implemented in practice. Its application to real data in two river basins in Belgium is presented. Finally, it is shown how the method can be used for the optimal selection of the rain-gauge locations in a basin.
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