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Magnitude and frequency of floods in rural and urban basins of North Carolina

Water-Resources Investigations Report 87-4096
By: , , and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/wri874096

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Abstract

The applicability of the nationwide urban flood relations in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain provinces is evaluated. Data for 254 gaging stations on rural streams with 10 or more years of record were used in multiple linear regression analyses with basin and climatic variables, to derive regional relations for estimating flood discharges having recurrence intervals of 2- to 100-years. Rural relations are presented for three hydrologic areas: (1) Blue Ridge-Piedmont, (2) Coastal Plain, and (3) Sand Hills. Drainage area is the only basin characteristic in the relations. The average standard error of estimate of the relations for the Blue Ridge-Piedmont, Coastal Plain, and Sand Hills hydrologic areas is 44, 39, and 24%, respectively. Flood discharges for the 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, and 100-year recurrence intervals for the 254 streamflow stations used in the regionalization study are also presented. Flood frequency distributions of simulated annual maximum discharges for four urban basins in the Coastal Plain indicate that the nationwide relations are applicable in the province. The root mean squared error for the 10- and 100-year flood discharges, using the nationwide relations, is 44% and 49%, respectively. Simulated data for six sites in the Piedmont were used to analyze the applicability of the nationwide urban relations in the province. The root mean squared error is 64% for the 10-year flood and 42% for the 100-year flood. No recommendation is made concerning use of the nationwide relations in the Piedmont.

Suggested Citation

Gunter, H., Mason, R., Stamey, T.C., 1987, Magnitude and frequency of floods in rural and urban basins of North Carolina: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 87-4096, vii, 52 p. :ill., maps ;28 cm., https://doi.org/10.3133/wri874096.

Study Area

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Magnitude and frequency of floods in rural and urban basins of North Carolina
Series title Water-Resources Investigations Report
Series number 87-4096
DOI 10.3133/wri874096
Year Published 1987
Language ENGLISH
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey,
Contributing office(s) South Atlantic Water Science Center
Description vii, 52 p. :ill., maps ;28 cm.
Country United States
State North Carolina
Other Geospatial Coastal Plain, Piedmont Province
Additional publication details