Flood Risks: Rainfall Patterns and Storm Transpositions in the Missouri River Basin

This study addresses the behavior and risks posed by major storms as they transpose across the Missouri River Basin. Storm direction as it enters and leaves the Missouri River Basin will be compared to the transposition tracks with respect to the Missouri River’s physical behavior. Daily precipitation data spanning from 1900 to 2014 is obtained from the Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN), and will be used to categorize and filter for all major storms, which are the focal point for this study. Storms transposing parallel versus orthogonal across the Missouri River will allow for an assessment of how the the basin fills. Parallel oriented storms with respect to the Missouri Rivers main stem path pose higher risk to flooding and dam failure as compared to orthogonal oriented storm tracks. Through quantification and plotting of major daily precipitation patterns alongside statistical analysis, we will attempt to bridge the gap between the understanding of storm tracks, and aiding in flood preparations and dam failures.