Monthly and Seasonal Flood Distribution over Different Return Periods in River Gauge Stations of Ardabil Province

Floods are one of the most destructive natural disasters that endanger social and economic conditions more than any other natural disaster. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of analyzing the monthly and seasonal flood distribution in the different return periods in some river gauge stations of Ardabil Province. In this way, the data of 33 river gauge stations have been used, and the statistical period of the used data was 40 years. The EasyFit software was used to select the most appropriate statistical distribution for maximum discharge data in the return periods of 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100-year. Based on the results, it can be said that in the studied stations, about 63.63% of the floods were related to the month of April. On the other hand, based on the results of the seasonal comparison charts, it can be said that the maximum floods were related to the spring season, and in all the return periods studied, the highest amount and percentage of floods occurred in spring season. In some stations such as Yamchi, Nouran, Neneh-Karan, Mashiran, Aouughin, Derou and Pol-e-Almas, nearly 100% of the floods were related to the spring season, and this shows that the floods in Ardabil Province were of spring type. Conducting the necessary studies and watershed-based planning is necessary in southern flood-prone areas of the Ardabil province, and the possibility of flooding in the future can be reduced and its damages minimized.