Characteristics of rain floods in the upper Wieprz catchment in May 2014

Abstract

Every few years torrential rains occur in Lublin Upland region, causing local floods. According to many previous researches, such downpours especially often occur in the area of Krasnystaw (Ziemnicki 1956, Dębski 1958, Maruszczak, Trembaczowski 1958, Ciepielowski, Dąbkowski 1967, Ciepielowski, Dąbkowski 1968, Górniak 1982, Kaszewski, Siwek 2005, Siwek 2010). The main aim of this research is to characterize conditions of forming and course of the flood in May 2014. Study area was defined as the upper Wieprz river catchment, including its tributary rivers, closed by gauging station in Krasnystaw. It is located in Eastern Poland, in borderland zone of Lublin Upland and Roztocze. Main material of this research was data from 8 gauging and 17 meteorological stations acquired from Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. In the middle of May 2014, a torrential rainfall occurred in a study area and caused, according to historical data, one of the biggest floods in the upper Wieprz river basin. Maximum intensity of rain during this episode reached 60 mm∙h-1. Maximum flow rate reached from 73,2 m3∙s-1 in Nielisz to 138 m3∙s-1 in Wirkowice and 109 m3∙s-1 in Krasnystaw. It was clear evidence of transformation of flood wave between particular gauging stations located on the upper Wieprz. To estimate total volume of precipitation and calculate hydrological statistics of runoff during the flood there were prepared isohyets maps and conducted zonal statistics, using GIS tools.