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Extreme floods and their relationship with tropical cyclones in Puerto Rico

FloodsHERNANDEZ AYALA, KEELLINGS, WAYLEN, MATYASExtreme floods and their relationship with tropical cyclones in Puerto Rico

José J. Hernández Ayala, David Keellings, Peter R. Waylen & Corene J. Matyas

Article first published online: 12 SEPT 2017 Hydrological Sciences Journal

DOI: 10.1080/02626667.2017.1368521

ABSTRACT: An extreme value analysis (EVA) point process approach has been implemented to examine the flood characteristics of Puerto Rico when tropical cyclones (TCs) are present in the discharge series and when they are removed from it. Mean daily discharge values that exceeded the 99th percentile thresholds were used in both the TC and non-TC data series. In nine of the 12 stations the maximum discharge was associated with a TC, with hurricanes Hortense (1996), Georges (1998) and Eloise (1975) responsible for most of the maximum peaks at each site. Percentage changes in the generalized extreme value parameters, which include location (central tendency), scale (variance) and shape (skewness), between the TC and non-TC data exhibited a decrease in the majority of stations. Stations in the eastern interior and central region of the island showed the largest decrease in all parameters, in flood occurrences and in return periods when TCs were removed from the series.

Read the full publication at Hydrological Sciences Journal