Do Satellite-Based Precipitation Datasets Capture Flash Flood-Producing Cloudburst Events?

Cloudbursts and mini-cloudbursts are on the rise over India, frequently triggering flash floods. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a cloudburst is defined as rainfall exceeding 100 mm in an hour over a spatial extent of 20-30 km², while mini-cloudbursts are characterized by rainfall of about 50 mm in an hour. Although IMD issues cloudburst reports within 24 hours of occurrence, accurate identification and categorization of these events remain challenging in several regions due to the sparse distribution of meteorological stations, particularly in complex terrain. Satellite-based observations provide high spatial coverage and can detect intense clouding or heavy rainfall events. However, satellites often infer rainfall or cloud properties from radiance, which can introduce uncertainties compared to direct ground measurements. Here, we assess how effectively satellite-based precipitation datasets capture cloudburst events over India by comparing satellite-based rainfall estimates with station-based hourly observations. We evaluate the performance of IMERG and ERA5-Land datasets to identify regions where satellites successfully detect cloudburst events and regions where their performance is limited across India. The results aim to improve understanding of the regional strengths and limitations of satellite datasets for monitoring extreme rainfall and enhancing flash flood preparedness in data-sparse regions of India.