Deriving a practical form of IDF formula using transformed rainfall intensities

A general form of formula is presented for the rainfall Intensity–Duration–Frequency (IDF) relationship. This formula is derived from the nearly normal probability distribution function of transformed intensities. In order to transform the raw intensities, a correcting non‐constant spread technique, the Kruskal–Wallis statistic, and the Box–Cox transformation are adopted. These transformations enable to express a simpler model for the IDF formula that agrees well with traditional IDF relationships. Since the proposed method allows the estimation of any percentile value of intensities with a single equation, the intensity percentile at arbitrary duration can be generated easily. The validity of the formula derived by means of the proposed method is assessed using data from major weather stations in Korea. The results show that the percentile intensities produced using the proposed method are in good agreement with those of traditional frequency analysis. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.