Technique for estimating magnitude and frequency of floods in West Virginia

A technique is presented to provide a method of estimating the magnitude of peak discharges of T-year frequencies for unregulated, virtually natural streams in West Virginia. Multiple regression techniques were used to develop the relation between peak discharges and drainage area. Data collected at 170 stream gaging sites were used in the analyses.

Analyses indicated that the best estimating equations could be derived by dividing the state into three regions, Regions 1 and 2 covering the Ohio River basin in West Virginia and Region 3 covering the Potomac River basin in West Virginia.

The method is applicable for drainage areas between 0.3 and 2,000 square miles. Graphs are provided to estimate the 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, 100-, and 500-year flood peaks for drainage areas between 1 and 1,000 square miles. Peak discharges for drainage areas less than 1 or greater than 1,000 square miles can be estimated using the appropriate equations provided on each graph.