Development of regression equations for the estimation of the magnitude and frequency of floods at rural, unregulated gaged and ungaged streams in Puerto Rico through water year 2017

The Caribbean has displayed a capacity to fulfill climate change projections associated with tropical cyclone-related rainfall and flooding. This article describes the hydrometeorological characteristics of Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico in September 2022 in terms of measured and interpolated rainfall and observed peak flows relative to previous tropical cyclones from 1899 to 2017. Hurricane Fiona ranks third overall in terms of island-wide total rainfall and fourth in terms of daily rainfall. Maximum daily rainfall during Hurricane Fiona exceeded those previously reported (excluding Hurricane María in 2017) in the eastern interior and eastern portions of the island. In terms of peak flows, no value approached the world’s or Puerto Rico’s flood envelope, although 69% of the observations are considered ‘exceptional’. About 26% and 29% of all peak flows were in the 5–10 year and 10–25 year recurrence interval ranges, respectively, yet none matched the 25-year levels. The highest peak flows were concentrated in the central-eastern and southeastern regions. Even though Hurricane María provoked a more extreme hydrometeorological response, some of Hurricane Fiona’s hydro-meteorological characteristics were among the highest ever recorded in Puerto Rico, particularly for the south-central and eastern portions of the island, and it displayed the island’s current level of vulnerability to extreme rainfall.

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Development of regression equations for the estimation of the magnitude and frequency of floods at rural, unregulated gaged and ungaged streams in Puerto Rico through water year 2017

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Cited by 2 publications

References 20 publications

U.S. Geological Survey response to Hurricane Maria flooding in Puerto Rico and characterization of peak streamflows observed September 20–22, 2017

U.S. Geological Survey response to Hurricane Maria flooding in Puerto Rico and characterization of peak streamflows observed September 20–22, 2017

Preliminary Analyses of the Hydro-Meteorological Characteristics of Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico

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