The amount of rainfall for which storage has to be provided is a difficult matter to determine; it depends on the frequency and efficiency of the overflows and the length of time during which the storm water has to be held up for tidal reasons. It is found that on the average the whole of the rain on a rainy day falls within a period of 2-1/2 hours; therefore, ignoring the relief which may be afforded by overflows, if the sewers are tide-locked for a period of 2-1/2 hours or over it would appear to be necessary to provide storage for the rainfall of a whole day; but in this case again it is permissible to run a certain amount of risk, varying with the length of time the sewers are tide-locked, because, first of all, it only rains on the average on about 160 days in the year, and, secondly, when it does rain, it may not be at the time when the sewers are tide-locked, although it is frequently found that the heaviest storms occur just at the most inconvenient time, namely, about high water. Table No. 9 shows the frequency of heavy rain recorded during a period of ten years at the Birmingham Observatory, which, being in the centre of England, may be taken as an approximate average of the country. TABLE No. 9. FREQUENCY OF HEAVY RAIN ------------------------------------------------------- Total Daily Rainfall. Average Frequency of Rainfall ------------------------------------------------------- 0.4 inches and over 155 times each year 0.5 " 93 " 0.6 " 68 " 0.7 " 50 " 0.8 " 33 " 0.9 " 22 " 1.0 " 17 " 1.1 " Once each year 1.2 " Once in 17 months 1.25 " " 2 years 1.3 " " 2-1/2 1.4 " " 3-1/3 1.5 " " 5 years 1.6 " " 5 years 1.7 " " 5 years 1.8 " " 10 years 1.9 " " 10 years 2.0 " " 10 years -------------------------------------------------- It will be interesting and useful to consider the records for the year 1903, which was one of the wettest years on record, and to compare those taken in Birmingham with the mean of those given in "Symons' Rainfall," taken at thirty-seven different stations distributed over the rest of the country. TABLE No. 10. RAINFALL FOR 1903.