Abstract. A new approach is developed for the specification of the plotting positions used in the frequency analysis of extreme flows, rainfalls or similar data. The approach is based on the concept of maximum likelihood estimation and it is applied here to provide plotting positions for a range of problems which concern non-standard versions of annual-maximum data. This range covers the inclusion of incomplete years of data and also the treatment of cases involving regional maxima, where the number of sites considered varies from year to year. These problems, together with a not-to-be-recommended approach to using historical information, can be treated as special cases of a non-standard situation in which observations arise from different statistical distributions which vary in a simple, known, way.