Oklahoma Precipitation Depth-Duration Frequency Grids

Eighty-four geospatial grids provide precipitation depth estimates for Oklahoma across 12 durations and 7 recurrence intervals. The U.S. Geological Survey produced these surfaces by interpolating data from 664 precipitation gage stations with at least 10 years of record. The analysis was published in a 1999 Water-Resources Investigations Report.

Use Cases

• Estimate 100-year, 24-hour storm depth for a specific location in Oklahoma using the interpolated grid values.
• Compare precipitation extremes across durations (e.g., 15-minute vs. 7-day) for different recurrence intervals (2- to 500-year).
• Validate statistical precipitation models against the station-based depth-duration-frequency estimates for 110 short-duration stations.
• Generate contour lines for specific duration-frequency combinations, such as the 10-year, 1-hour event, using the provided derived data.

Strengths

• Covers 84 distinct depth-duration-frequency combinations (7 frequencies x 12 durations).
• Based on station data from 664 precipitation gages with a minimum 10-year record.
• Provides continuous spatial coverage with a defined 2,000-meter grid-cell resolution.

Limitations

• Primary station data and analysis are from 1999, potentially not reflecting recent climate trends.
• Spatial coverage is focused on Oklahoma with only a 50km buffer into bordering states.
• Contour interval precision varies from 0.05 to 0.5 inches, which may be coarse for some engineering applications.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4232.

Collection Method

Statistical analysis of annual maxima from three rain gage networks, interpolated to create continuous grids.

Time Range

Station records cover at least 10 years prior to the 1999 publication.

Freshness

null

Geography

Oklahoma, USA, extending approximately 50 kilometers into bordering states.