Predicting the 1.5-,5-, 10-, and 25-year event from the snow zone of Colorado and Wyoming

Scientists have been trying to develop equations to accurately predict streamflow for years. As of yet the most well known equations to do this were developed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This paper presents the results of our search to improve equations that predict the 1.5-, 5-, 10-, and 25-year maximum instantaneous flow and maximum mean daily flow for watersheds in the snow zones of Colorado and Wyoming. Using the same set of data utilized by the USGS, but with a more rigorous selection criteria, we have developed prediction equations that not only have a much smaller range of error, but these equations can be applied over a broader geographic area, rather than being restricted to specific Hydrologic Regions.