Intensity-duration-frequency of maximum rainfall in Mato Grosso State

Abstract Intensive rainfall is an important meteorological variable that is of technical interest in hydraulic projects. This study therefore generated Intensity-Duration-Frequency equations (IDF) for 14 weather stations in Mato Grosso State, based on pluviograph analysis. Annual maximum rainfall data regarding 10-to-1440-minute long rainfall events were collected from digitized daily pluviographs. Data adherence to the generalized extreme value distribution (GEV) was checked through the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test at a 20% significance level. Next, the maximum probable rainfall for return periods such as 2, 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 and 100 years was calculated and the IDF equations were adjusted. The performance of the IDF equations was evaluated based on mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), bias, Willmott's concordance index and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency index (ENS). Adjusting the IDF equations was only possible for rainfall durations ranging from 10 to 360 min at each station due to the low frequency of longer rainfalls. High variation was present in parameters of the IDF equation and in maximum rainfall intensity between stations. The satisfactory performance of the models, as attested to by statistical indices, allows using IDF equations adjusted for rainfall durations from 10 to 360 min, and return periods from 2 to 100 years, in the regions of the Mato Grosso weather stations.