This document discusses methods for interpolating rainfall data using modified inverse distance weighting (MIDW) techniques. It examines four general forms of the MIDW method where the effects of distance and elevation difference can take positive or negative weights. The authors apply genetic algorithms to optimize the MIDW interpolation equation regionally and compare integrated vs. separated dimensionless weighting approaches. Daily rainfall data from 49 stations in the Mashhad plain catchment area of Iran over 16 years is analyzed. The results show that accounting for elevation improves interpolation and that regional optimization of the MIDW method leads to better performance than local optimization.