THE DISTRIBUTION OF MONTHLY RAINFALL INTENSITY AT SOME SITES IN SAUDI-ARABIA

The analysis of rainfall intensity is useful in various fields of life e.g. agricultural planning, hydrology and transmission of microwaves and high-voltage electricity. The monthly precipitation totals for a 21 year period are used to compare the rainfall regimes at seven sites in Saudi Arabia. These sites differ in their latitude, longitude and elevation above sea level. Some basic monthly statistics of data from these sites are presented to identify the nature of the rainfall at each site. The trend of the number of dry months per year is also used to compare between the sites. The probability of dry months for each month of the 21 yr is used for comparison between the rainfall regimes. Plots for mean and maximum rainfall at these sites are presented. The Fisher-Cornish proposed model for rainfall in arid regions is considered and a simple empirical method for estimating its parameters is used for the twelve month period rainfall data from the seven sites.