Choice of rainfall inputs for event-based rainfall-runoff modeling in a catchment with multiple rainfall stations using data-driven techniques

•This study is on input-selection for a catchment with multiple rainfall stations.•Combined cross-correlation and mutual information analysis is proposed.•Selected inputs were used to develop an event-based rainfall-runoff ANFIS model.•Proposed method chose rainfall inputs only from 2 to 3 stations to be used in ANFIS.•Selected stations had high total rain and were located near sub-catchments outlet.