In order to design structures for soil and water conservation, it is essential to know the value of intense rain in each location. The present work had as objective to determine the representative value of the intense rains to be used in projects of conservation of the soil and water for all the municipalities of the state of Santa Catarina. Series of 162 pluviometric stations were used that had more than 30 years of data, including the period after the year 2000. For each station the parameters of the GEV and Gumbel distribution were adjusted. With the distribution that showed the best adjustment, the maximum rainfall values with a 10-year return period were estimated. These data were spatialized using the Krigagem method and the representative average values were obtained for each municipality in Santa Catarina. The results show a spatial variation of intense rain in the state, with higher values in the Regions of the Far West, Central Coast and North Coast, and lower in the Alto Vale do Itajaí. For the 10-year return period, the maximum daily rainfall ranged from 104.9 to 157.1mm, and the intensity of the rain lasting 15 minutes ranged from 93.2 to 139.5mm h-1. | Para o dimensionamento de estruturas para conservação do solo e água é imprescindível conhecer o valor da chuva intensa de cada local.  O presente trabalho teve como objetivo determinar o valor representativo das chuvas intensas a ser usado em projetos de conservação do solo e água para todos os municípios do estado de Santa Catarina. Foram utilizadas séries históricas de 162 estações pluviométricas que possuíam mais de 30 anos de dados, incluindo o período após o ano 2000. Para cada estação foram ajustados os parâmetros da distribuição GEV e Gumbel. Com a distribuição que apresentou melhor ajuste foram estimados os valores de chuva máxima com período de retorno de 10 anos. Estes dados foram espacializados, usando o método da Krigagem, e obtidos os valores médios representativos para cada município catarinense. Os resultados mostram uma variação espacial da chuva intensa no estado, com maiores valores nas Regiões do Extremo Oeste, Litoral Centro e Litoral Norte, e menores no Alto Vale do Itajaí. Para o período de retorno de 10 anos a chuva máxima diária variou de 104,9 a 157,1mm, enquanto a intensidade da chuva com duração de 15 minutos variou de 93,2 a 139,5mm h-1.

Intense rainstorms in 2008 resulted in wide-spread flooding across the Midwestern United States. In Wisconsin, floodwater inundated a 17.7-km²area on an outwash terrace, 7.5 m above the mapped floodplain of the Wisconsin River. Surface-water runoff initiated the flooding, but results of field investigation and modeling indicate that rapid water-table rise and groundwater inundation caused the long-lasting flood far from the riparian floodplain. Local geologic and geomorphic features of the landscape lead to spatial variability in runoff and recharge to the unconfined sand and gravel aquifer, and regional hydrogeologic conditions increased groundwater discharge from the deep bedrock aquifer to the river valley. Although reports of extreme cases of groundwater flooding are uncommon, this occurrence had significant economic and social costs. Local, state and federal officials required hydrologic analysis to support emergency management and long-term flood mitigation strategies. Rapid, sustained water-table rise and the resultant flooding of this high-permeability aquifer illustrate a significant aspect of groundwater system response to an extreme precipitation event. Comprehensive land-use planning should encompass the potential for water-table rise and groundwater flooding in a variety of hydrogeologic settings, as future changes in climate may impact recharge and the water-table elevation.