Hydrometeorology

Hydrometeorology is a branch of meteorology that deals with problems involving the hydrologic cycle, the water budget and the rainfall statistics of storms. As the interrelationships between the atmospheric and land phases of the hydrological cycle are expansive so are boundaries of hydrometeorology. Considerable emphasis is placed on determining, theoretically or empirically, the relationships between meteorological variables and the maximum precipitation reaching the ground. These analyses often serve as the base for the design of flood-control and water-usage structures, primarily dams and reservoirs. Hydrometeorology also involves the determination of rainfall probabilities, space and time distribution of rainfall and evaporation, recurrence intervals of major storms, snow melt and runoff, and probable wind tides and waves in reservoirs.