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- Title
Flood Analysis for the World-Record-Setting July 1942 "Smethport" Storm: Supporting the Pennsylvania Probable Maximum Precipitation Study.
- Authors
BELLINI, JOE; KAPPEL, BILL
- Abstract
The Division of Dam Safety, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP), is currently developing a Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) Study for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The PMP depths for Pennsylvania, particularly along the western edge of the Allegheny Mountains, are greatly influenced by the exceptional magnitude of a world-record-setting storm that occurred in July 1942 in the north-central region of Pennsylvania. Available data from this storm includes numerous measurements of rainfall depths exceeding 30 inches in 4.5 hours. The July 1942 storm is critical for PMP development in the region. However, there are uncertainties related to the quality of the rainfall data collected in this rural region of Pennsylvania. Therefore, a critical component of the study is a hydrologic and hydraulic simulation of the watershed's response to the July 1942 rainfall event, using a combination of lumped and distributed (2D) techniques. The purpose of the flood analysis was to substantiate the recorded rainfall or identify, isolate, and quantify observational uncertainties in the recorded rainfall and develop rainfall depth, spatial, and/or temporal patterns that better match observed flood data. This article describes the approach taken to develop and calibrate the flood models, comparisons between modeled and observed flood data, and results of iterations to refine our understanding of the rainfall magnitude, spatial patterns, and/or temporal patterns.
- Subjects
PENNSYLVANIA; ALLEGHENY Mountains; RAINFALL measurement; METEOROLOGICAL precipitation; FLOODS; RAINFALL; PATTERN matching
- Publication
Journal of Dam Safety, 2019, Vol 16, Issue 3, p31
- ISSN
1944-9836
- Publication type
Article