In this work, the multifractal properties of hourly rainfall data recorded at a location in Southern Spain have been related to the scale properties of the corresponding intensity–duration–frequency (IDF) curves. Four parametric models for the IDF curves have been fitted to the quantiles of rainfall obtained using the generalized Pareto frequency distribution function with the extreme data series obtained for the same place. The scaling of the rainfall intensity moments has been analysed, and the empirical moments scaling exponent function has been obtained. The corresponding values of q1 and γ1 have been empirical and theoretically calculated and compared with some characteristics of the different IDF models. Thus, the scaling behaviour of IDF curves has been analysed, and the best model has been selected. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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The flood and drought cycles suffered of old by the province of Malaga, the variability in the distribution of rainfall throughout the province and the reduced length of the data series make it of interest to carry out a regional analysis (RA) of the yearly maximum daily precipitation data to obtain appropriate rainfall quantiles. By taking these maximum precipitations values from 72 weather stations, and their physiographic parameters latitude and altitude, four regions with similar rainfall patterns have been determined by the principal component analysis statistical technique. Then, carrying out an RA of the yearly maximum daily precipitations for each of the regions discriminated, it was observed that three of them were homogeneous for the parameter being studied. In those homogeneous regions that grouped data of different stations but close rainfall pattern, frequency curves could be calculated for several return periods by means of the functions that best fit the data of each region. With these regional curves, it has been possible to obtain more accurate values of the maximum daily quantiles for each of the stations analysed than through the conventional local frequency analysis.

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