Performance of Satellite Rainfall Products under Extreme Rainfall Conditions in Mountainous Regions: A Case Study in Northern Vietnam

Performance of Satellite Rainfall Products under Extreme Rainfall Conditions in Mountainous Regions: A Case Study in Northern Vietnam | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Performance of Satellite Rainfall Products under Extreme Rainfall Conditions in Mountainous Regions: A Case Study in Northern Vietnam Thi Noi Doan, Nguyen Hoang Son, Dang Thu Thuy, Nguyen Thanh Nga, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9409320/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study evaluates the performance of satellite rainfall products under varying rainfall conditions, with a particular focus on extreme rainfall events in mountainous regions of northern Vietnam. Using daily observations from 11 meteorological stations along a complex terrain corridor, the accuracy of three widely used satellite precipitation products (CHIRPS, GPM IMERG, and GSMaP) was assessed through statistical metrics including the coefficient of determination (R²), root mean square error (RMSE), and bias. The results reveal pronounced spatial variability in rainfall patterns, with frequent extreme rainfall events (> 50 mm/day) occurring in mountainous areas influenced by strong orographic effects. Among the evaluated products, CHIRPS generally shows better agreement with observed rainfall, particularly at high-elevation stations such as Mai Chau and Moc Chau, while GSMaP demonstrates relatively improved performance at selected locations. However, the performance of all satellite rainfall products decreases significantly under extreme rainfall conditions, with reduced correlation and increased error metrics. This limitation highlights the challenges of accurately capturing high-intensity precipitation in complex terrain environments. The findings emphasize the importance of integrating satellite-based and ground-based rainfall observations for improving precipitation estimation in mountainous regions. Such integration is essential for enhancing the reliability of climate-related hazard assessments, particularly in areas prone to rainfall-induced hazards such as landslides and flash floods. Satellite rainfall Extreme rainfall CHIRPS GSMaP Mountainous regions Orographic effects Hazard assessment Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 16 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 21 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 20 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 14 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 14 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 13 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9409320","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":629484827,"identity":"5cd7da62-0644-49c0-9374-cc8f4f0ccf16","order_by":0,"name":"Thi Noi Doan","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAArElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDCCA0CcUAFhSxCn5RhIyxmIahK0MLaRooXvfu/BBw/nHa7jb2A+eJuH4XAeQS2Sx/iSDRK3HZaQOMCWbA3UUkxQi8ExHjMJkBYDBh4zaR6GtMQG4rTMAWnh/0aKlgawLWxALTaEtUgeyzE2SDiWLjnjMJux5RwDIrTwHT5j+PBHjTU/f3vzwxtvKiQIa0EAZrA7iVc/CkbBKBgFowAPAADKaTUeQoRwWAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"University of Transport and Communications","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Thi","middleName":"Noi","lastName":"Doan","suffix":""},{"id":629484828,"identity":"fd6021a9-8fa7-40b5-a69d-7e0fadef6f4d","order_by":1,"name":"Nguyen Hoang Son","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Thuyloi University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nguyen","middleName":"Hoang","lastName":"Son","suffix":""},{"id":629484830,"identity":"80ac0e09-d9f9-4880-9c41-bb8d4cb3e510","order_by":2,"name":"Dang Thu Thuy","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Transport and Communications","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dang","middleName":"Thu","lastName":"Thuy","suffix":""},{"id":629484831,"identity":"31534ad8-e2d5-4b4b-becd-e3fa6d9bb0d7","order_by":3,"name":"Nguyen Thanh Nga","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Transport and Communications","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nguyen","middleName":"Thanh","lastName":"Nga","suffix":""},{"id":629484832,"identity":"cfca5841-5152-41bf-b3a1-5d249088a6e6","order_by":4,"name":"Tran Thu Phuong","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Transport and Communications","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tran","middleName":"Thu","lastName":"Phuong","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-04-14 01:53:52","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9409320/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9409320/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108490852,"identity":"5beed551-8e8f-4b5c-bc3e-0f42a951687f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-05 09:49:19","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1554070,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SatelliteRainfallExtremeMountainousVietnam.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9409320/v1_covered_e7510459-2b81-4e1a-8ca9-ed0e68921764.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Performance of Satellite Rainfall Products under Extreme Rainfall Conditions in Mountainous Regions: A Case Study in Northern Vietnam","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"theoretical-and-applied-climatology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"taac","sideBox":"Learn more about [Theoretical and Applied Climatology](https://www.springer.com/journal/704)","snPcode":"704","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/704/3","title":"Theoretical and Applied Climatology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Satellite rainfall, Extreme rainfall, CHIRPS, GSMaP, Mountainous regions, Orographic effects, Hazard assessment","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9409320/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9409320/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study evaluates the performance of satellite rainfall products under varying rainfall conditions, with a particular focus on extreme rainfall events in mountainous regions of northern Vietnam. Using daily observations from 11 meteorological stations along a complex terrain corridor, the accuracy of three widely used satellite precipitation products (CHIRPS, GPM IMERG, and GSMaP) was assessed through statistical metrics including the coefficient of determination (R\u0026sup2;), root mean square error (RMSE), and bias.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results reveal pronounced spatial variability in rainfall patterns, with frequent extreme rainfall events (\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;50 mm/day) occurring in mountainous areas influenced by strong orographic effects. 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