Comparative Analysis of the Total Precipitation over Russia Using Different Datasets

A comparative analysis of daily precipitation fields from global gauge-based products (CPC, GPCC), reanalysis data (ERA5, ERA5-Land), and satellite information (IMERG, CMORPH) was performed against weather station data for Russia over the period 2000–2018 from the All-Russian Research Institute of Hydrometeorological Information–World Data Center database. The products assimilating gauge data (CPC, GPCC) have demonstrated the highest accuracy with correlation coefficients of 0.70–0.81 and root-mean-square error of 2.1–2.5 mm/day. The reanalyses have shown moderately high reliability (r = 0.64–0.65). A substantial accuracy degradation of satellite-based products was identified north of 60° N, in mountainous regions and for solid precipitation. Pronounced seasonal differences in data quality were found, with degraded performance in summer due to the high variability of convective precipitation. For hydrometeorological studies over Russia, the use of CPC, GPCC, or ERA5 data is recommended.