Generalised dimensionless temporal patterns of rainfall were developed using 17 yr-long hourly rainfall records from Tarapur, on the west coast of India, in conventional approach and without any synthetic tweaking of observed rainstorms. Higher percentile curves (higher intensity rainstorms), as well as lower duration rainstorms, produced steeper initial segments, reflecting site-specific rainstorm characteristics, typical for southwest monsoon rainfall occurring at Tarapur. Patterns derived at Tarapur differed from NRCS Type-III curves for tropical rainfall in US, which has the steepest segment in the middle. Com- pared to regional studies applicable for Tarapur, site-specific curves were conservative. A proposed risk metric indicated that local infrastructure and hydraulic elements might get underdesigned, if generic rainfall pattern is adopted. The curves thus generated would be inputs for development/augmentation of local infrastructure facilities, accommodating climate change scenarios, especially for important industrial or nuclear installations at and around Tarapur. This is the first study to analyse the departures of site-specific temporal distribution from generic rainfall curves available in literature, for tropical rainfall in the Indian subcontinent.