Satellite-based assessment of the February 2026 extreme rainfall event in Juiz de Fora, southeastern Brazil

Satellite precipitation products provide an effective framework for characterizing extreme rainfall events in regions with limited ground observations. Here, we use multi-decadal CHIRPS (1981–2025) and IMERG observations to assess the magnitude, rarity, and spatial organization of the February 2026 extreme rainfall event in Juiz de Fora, southeastern Brazil. Event severity was evaluated using rolling precipitation accumulations, empirical percentile rankings, and spatial diagnostics derived from satellite precipitation fields. Results show that the event ranked within the upper tail of the historical precipitation distribution, with multi-day accumulations frequently exceeding the 95th percentile. At the IMERG grid scale, elevated rainfall extended across most of the municipality, with approximately 65% of the area exceeding the 95th historical percentile. These findings demonstrate the capability of satellite precipitation records to characterize the magnitude and spatial organization of extreme rainfall events and provide hydroclimatic context for hazard assessment in data-scarce mountainous environments.