The influence of precipitation intensity growth on the urban drainage systems designing

Abstract

For 50 years of long observation period (1960–2009), on a high level of statistical significance (95 %), a decreasing trend of annual precipitation amounts and an increasing trend of the number of rainy days during the year (64 %) were found. For the seasonal changes (V–X), similarly, there was found a statistically significant (94 %) decreasing precipitation amount trend and an increasing trend of the number of rainy days (50 %). As far as the intensity of maximum precipitation is concerned, a very statistically significant increasing trend (95 %) was found. Taking as the basis, the model for a trend, defined for the period of 1960–2009, the increase of weighted average interval values of maximum precipitation amounts (h ≥ 0.75 t0.5) in the year 2059 was estimated to be about 26 %, in comparison with the starting year 1960. An increasing trend of maximum precipitation frequency in Wroclaw was also proved. To a safe sewerage systems designing in Wroclaw according to current standards (EN 752 2008; DWA-A118 2006), the precipitation frequency to the simulations of excessive accumulation occurrences to the land level should be changed.