Spatial and temporal characteristics of high-intensive rainfall in northern Tunisia

When dealing with urban design, it is essential to have knowledge of the magnitude of the spatial variability of short high-intensive rainstorms. Most of the studies of high-intensive rainfall, conducted during recent years, concern regions with a humid climate. Still, the largest temporal and spatial variations in rainfall are to be found in arid and semi-arid regions. This paper sums up findings regarding rainfall variability, observed in a small catchment in northern Tunisia during a period of 2 yr. Point and areal intensities are presented for the ten most high-intensive storms observed. Storm-centered areal reduction factors are calculated for different durations and areas.