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RETURN PERIOD

The average time between events (e.g. floods, storms or fires) of a given magnitude. Also known as the recurrence interval, its reciprocal is the probability of occurrence in any one year. The magnitude of an event is often described in terms of its return period, for example, a 100-year flood.

[See alsoextreme climatic event, extreme event, extreme weather event, flood magnitudefrequency changes, magnitude-frequency concepts]

John A.MatthewsSwansea UniversityRory P.D.WalshSwansea University
http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446247501.n3296
10.4135/9781446247501.n3296

CharpentierA (2012) On the return period of the 2003 heatwave. Climatic Change109: 245–260.
Della-MartaPM, MathisH, FreiC et al. (2009) The return period of wind storms over Europe. International Journal of Climatology29: 437–459.
O’ConnorTG, MulqueenyCM and GoodmanPS (2011) Determining of spatial variation in fire return period in a semiarid African savanna. International Journal of Wildland Fire29: 540–549.
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