This study provides a review of the pluviograph data obtained from multi-year (1936-2015) rainfall observations, which include the following parameters: rainfall duration, rainfall intensity, total rainfall and rainfall accumulation during a rainstorm event. Moreover, the results of the use of multi-year data in various aspects of rainfall research are presented. The territory of the Urals is an old industrial region of Russia therefore a large number of settlements, dams and hydropower plants are located here. At the same time, the risk of flash flood formation and related flooding on small rivers remain high. The results of statistical processing of the observed rainfall data are the basis for the development of reliable methods of calculating the extreme hydrological characteristics of small rivers, which can be a guarantee of economic stability and security of the region with a long history and the reliability of the operation of pressure dams and hydropower plants.